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LIFT Academy Announces Aviation Maintenance Apprenticeship

A high school student tries LIFT Academy's flight simulator at a career fair in Indianapolis.
A high school student tries LIFT Academy's flight simulator at a career fair in Indianapolis.

LIFT Academy in Indianapolis has announced it’s registered a new apprenticeship program with the U.S. Department of Labor. It will train new aviation maintenance technicians and pay them for their time. 

The first cohort of maintenance technicians will be limited to only 6 people and takes about three years to complete. Once licensed, the apprentices will be guaranteed a job with Republic Airways.

Lauren Gaudion is the director of communications at Lift Academy.  She says historically the aviation industry hasn’t been great at creating programs for entry-level workers, but it’s trying to change that. 

“So we’re taking this opportunity, in partnership with the Department of Labor, to be able to make this an accessible opportunity for people who may not have been able to consider it before,” she says.

This is the second job training program Indianapolis-based LIFT academy has created and it will launch later this month. The first was in airline piloting.

Justin Hicks covers statewide workforce development and employment issues. Before moving to Indiana, Justin was a freelance journalist and audio producer in New York City covering a variety of topics from crime to classical music. Justin is a graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and Appalachian State University.