Press release
United Launches Calibrate: Apprenticeship Program to Grow and Diversify Aircraft Technician Pipeline
Inaugural class starts next week as the airline plans to train more than 1,000 people by 2026, with a goal that at least half will be women or people of color
About this update from United Airlines Holdings, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Inaugural class starts next week as the airline plans to train more than 1,000 people by 2026, with a goal that at least half will be women or people of color\nParticipants will complete a 36-month \"earn and learn\" program getting paid while completing the full-time certification and training process and saving as much as $50,000 in tuition\nAirline will start accepting external applications in early 2023 at https://careers.united.com/us/en/calibrate\nCHICAGO, Nov. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines today announced the launch of Calibrate, an in-house apprenticeship program that will help grow and diversify its pipeline of Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs). The inaugural class starts next week in Houston as the airline plans to train more than 1,000 people at about a dozen locations by 2026, with the goal of at least half being women or people of color.\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \nCalibrate is a 36-month program in which participants \"earn and learn\" getting paid while completing the full-time certification and training process. Since participants get paid while they train, they forgo the expense of going to a technical school – which can cost up to $50,000.\nUnited will start accepting external applications in early 2023. Interested applicants can sign up to receive more information about Calibrate at https://careers.united.com/us/en/calibrate.\n\"Calibrate is a great opportunity for people who are interested in pursuing a rewarding career as an aircraft technician but don't have the resources or support they need to attend traditional technical schools or colleges,\" said Rodney Luetzen, United's Vice President of Line Maintenance. \"This program will provide life-changing opportunities, help to diversify our workforce and give us access to an even bigger pool of talented, qualified, motivated people.\"\nThe apprenticeship program, a joint effort between United, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and the Federal Aviation Administration, accelerates the path toward becoming a United AMT while also growing the airline's ranks of Ground Service Equipment mechanics and Facility Technicians.\nUnited expects the second Calibrate apprentice cohort to start in early 2023, also in Houston, and will then expand to more than a dozen locations including San Francisco and Orlando.\nThe program will focus on helpi...