Piper Aircraft Apprenticeship Program Offers Chance to Earn While Learning Manufacturing Career Skills

Piper Aircraft announced that its first group of apprentices has begun their two year-program. The first nine apprentices, who started work in August, shadow skilled aircraft assembly workers and learn all aspects of fabrication and assembly of aircraft during the two-year initiative. Additionally, they attend technical classes and receive hands-on training designed to qualify the participants as a Journeyman in Aircraft Assembly. Each apprentice is a paid employee of Piper Aircraft and receives a full benefits package.

“The Piper apprentices are part of a high-tech version of the ancient tradition of apprentices learning a trade requiring specialized skills by working with an experienced professional. This program provides the necessary training, mentoring and support enabling apprentices to successfully pursue a long-term career with growth opportunity as a Piper employee,” said President and CEO, Simon Caldecott. “As we look to the future and consider our current aircraft sales and order backlog, the apprentice program will help ensure that Piper has a strong and agile workforce for the years to come.”

The application period for the 2020 Apprentice Class will open in January 2020. The application can be found on the Piper website: www.piper.com under the Careers tab. For questions regarding the program, please e-mail: apprentice@piper.com

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.