Axios Live: Texas aerospace growth calls for expanding its skilled workforce
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Axios’ Colin Demarest (left) with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control’s Michael Patton at the Oct. 14 Axios event. Photo: Jacque Manaugh for Axios
DALLAS — The aerospace industry's growth is pushing Dallas employers and educators to focus on training more skilled workers as technology redefines the sector's standards.
Why it matters: Heightened national security needs and rising commercial aviation demands are fueling investment in North Texas' aerospace and defense industries, underscoring the importance of a highly skilled workforce.
Axios' Colin Demarest and Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi spoke with Tarrant County College Aviation Technology department chair Phillip Craig, Bell SVP for the Bell 525 Michael Deslatte, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control VP of operations Michael Patton, and Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas president and CEO Laura Ward. The Oct. 14 event was sponsored by GE Aerospace.
What they're saying: Patton said Lockheed Martin is aiming to hire 2,000 Texas employees over the next year, citing a growing sense of "national security urgency."
- "We are definitely seeing people wanting to migrate into our industry," he said.
- Retaining young workers and bolstering the talent pipeline supported by job training investments comes down to "communicating opportunity often," Ward said.
- "I think upskilling while they're on the job is really important," Ward said of maintaining a robust workforce for the industry.
- New technology, including AI, is speeding up the productivity and efficiency of young aerospace engineers, Deslatte said. "It used to take a better part of a decade for a brand-new engineer to become fairly productive within an OEM [original equipment manufacturer] setting. We're seeing that timeline accelerate drastically," he added.
Zoom in: Commercial airline and aerospace industries are facing a projected shortage of aviation maintenance technicians over "the next 20 years," Craig said. TCC aims to prepare students for the most in-demand skills in aerospace, he added.
Content from the sponsor's segment:
In a View From the Top conversation, chief human resources officer for GE Aerospace Christian Meisner said the aerospace industry needs to prioritize building long-term career opportunities for employees, starting with apprenticeship and training programs.
- "Whether it's an apprenticeship program, whether it's a partnership with a local community college or a tech school … we really need to scale."
Go deeper: Watch the full conversation.
