ORLANDO, Fla. — United Airlines has announced that its launch of Calibrate, an in-house apprenticeship program that will help grow and diversify its pipeline of aircraft maintenance technicians.

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The airline said it plans to train more than 1,000 people by 2026, with a goal that at least half its trainees will be women or people of color.

Participants will complete a 36-month “earn and learn” program, getting paid while completing the full-time certification and training process. They will save as much as $50,000 in tuition.

The program will focus on helping apprentices gain the skills and knowledge required to test for and obtain their airframe and powerplant certificate, including hands-on and classroom training, United Airlines said.

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Calibrate will hold its inaugural class in Houston with plans to expand to more than a dozen locations including Orlando by next year.

United Airlines will start accepting external applications in early 2023 at https://careers.united.com/us/en/calibrate.

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