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.

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