Aerospace
NASA Establishes State Hubs to Grow Technical Aerospace Workforce
Title image: From left, Sean McCrary and Katie Mortensen, mechanical engineering technicians, paint NASA’s Artemis logo on the White Room connected to the crew access arm and mobile launcher inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 4 December 2025. Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux
NASA has awarded approximately US$10.5 million to seven institutions to strengthen state-based pathways for students entering skilled technical jobs in the aerospace industry. At least three of the funded hubs name nondestructive testing (NDT) or inspection among the specific disciplines they will teach.
The awards were made through the NASA Aerospace Skilled Technical Workforce Hubs initiative, or NASA State Hubs, a new program intended to build technical training capacity in states with concentrated aerospace employment.
“The need for technical talent is already urgent and will only continue to grow as we return humanity to the Moon and set our sights on Mars and beyond,” said Elaine Ho, Associate Administrator for the Office of STEM Engagement at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “NASA is uniquely positioned to be the catalyst and convener that accelerates America’s aerospace workforce development and fosters the next generation of technicians.”
The hubs are designed to connect industry employers, community colleges, high school career and technical education programs, and state workforce systems, moving students into jobs such as welders, electricians, machinists, inspectors, and other technicians who apply advanced technical skills. Over three years, the selected organizations will build training in skills identified by industry, map career pathways through education and apprenticeships, and connect employers with job seekers.
The seven awards:
Antelope Valley Community College District, Lancaster, California, leads a hub with MiraCosta College and Pasadena City College that covers 11 technical disciplines, including composites fabrication, nondestructive inspection, precision metrology, machining, and electronics. Partners include NASA Armstrong, NASA Ames, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The hub is building stackable pathways running from high school career and technical education through college programs, micro-internships, cooperative education, and registered apprenticeships.
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities operates the MnASTW Hub across the state’s technical college network, with Ridgewater College providing NDT pathways, Dakota County Technical College contributing welding and advanced manufacturing, and Pine Technical & Community College covering machining and robotics.
Georgia Tech Research Corporation coordinates the SE-STARS Hub across the Technical College System of Georgia’s 22 colleges, delivering more than three dozen hands-on courses in avionics, propulsion, advanced manufacturing, systems testing, machining, and assembly. Industry partners include GE Aerospace, the US Space Force, and the Georgia Aerospace and Defense Alliance.
Southern Utah University runs the Utah NAS_Hub, integrating NASA HUNCH and launching the Aviation Launchpad program with Northrop Grumman, Southwest Technical College, Utah Space Grant, and Talent Ready Utah. The hub ties employer hiring agreements to validated competencies.
Space Florida leads Project ORBIT, which will create a statewide talent portal where individuals can present their skills, credentials, and work-based learning to aerospace employers.
State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education, through Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado, is establishing the Colorado Space Institute, which will launch the state’s first Associate of Applied Science in Space Science. Partners include Lockheed Martin and Advanced Space.
Texas Space Commission leads an alliance using the TAP+ portal, aiming to enroll more than 25 000 students by its second year, with partners including Blue Origin, Intuitive Machines, and Lockheed Martin. The program emphasizes adult education and veteran retraining.
The cooperative agreements are funded by NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement through its Next Gen STEM project, which prepares high school and community college students for aerospace careers.
