Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), through its Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology (UniKL MIAT), has positioned Malaysia among the first five communities worldwide selected under the GE Aerospace Foundation’s US$30 million Lifting Futures workforce development programme.
Through the initiative, Kuala Lumpur was selected alongside Auburn, Alabama; Dallas, Texas; the Cincinnati-Dayton region in Ohio; and Wrocław, Poland as part of the inaugural global communities chosen for the programme.
In a statement issued by GE Aerospace headquarters in Cincinnati, the Lifting Futures initiative aims to train 10,000 workers globally by 2030 to help address the growing manufacturing skills gap across the aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries.
Chief Human Resources Officer of GE Aerospace, Christian Meisner, said the programme reflects the organisation’s commitment to building a strong future workforce for the aerospace industry.
“With Lifting Futures, the GE Aerospace Foundation is taking the next step to ensure a strong future for the aerospace industry, and for the thousands of workers we need to meet growing demand,” he said.
The foundation stated that Kuala Lumpur was selected due to its well-established pipeline for MRO workforce training and the presence of forward-looking training institutions, including existing GE Aerospace-supported programmes at UniKL.
Read: UniKL supports talent pipeline for GE Aerospace’s MRO expansion
Under the programme, Kuala Lumpur communities will receive at least US$1 million in funding to strengthen workforce development initiatives, expand training capacity, improve access to technical education, and increase graduate placement opportunities.
The broader collaboration between UniKL and GE Aerospace was highlighted during the document exchange ceremony held in conjunction with MARA’s 60th anniversary celebration earlier this month.
The collaboration encompasses industry-aligned experiential learning, professional networking, mentorship opportunities, staff upskilling and reskilling programmes, and the sharing of advanced turbine engine technology.
The partnership is expected to further strengthen specialist aerospace expertise among students and industry practitioners while enhancing graduate employability in the aviation and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) sectors.
Since becoming a standalone company in 2024, GE Aerospace has supported more than 20 workforce programmes globally, benefiting nearly 10,000 individuals through apprenticeships and advanced manufacturing training initiatives.
