Boeing and Trident Tech Extended Their Pipeline Deal -- And What It Means for SC Aerospace Students

When a manufacturer with more than 11,000 South Carolina employees chooses to embed its workforce training inside a technical college rather than build a standalone facility, it signals something about how the industry views education partnerships. Boeing's renewal of its collaboration with Trident Technical College -- extended for another five years in December 2025 -- operates on exactly that logic. The company will host training on the third floor of Trident's building in North Charleston, and the college will build coursework around what Boeing actually needs: specific tools, processes, safety standards, and quality systems.

Trident President Vicky Wood described the design as demand-driven: "Boeing identifies the skills it needs -- from tools and processes to safety and quality standards -- and Trident builds coursework around those expectations." The college will staff the program with 55 instructors initially, scaling as Boeing expands. The partnership's five-year target is to help the company add up to 1,000 employees, a hiring pace that requires a functioning pre-employment training system rather than a traditional apprenticeship model.

For students in South Carolina's Aerospace Technology pathway, this employer commitment reshapes the career picture. The pathway prepares students for credentials including TRUST drone safety certification, Certified SolidWorks Associate, and Autodesk Certified User, while covering aircraft systems, aerospace materials, and aerodynamics. Aerospace engineers in South Carolina earn a median of $131,820, and avionics technicians reach $76,700 -- both significantly above state median wages. Aircraft maintenance technicians, the most accessible entry-level role, earn $48,860 in the state.

Boeing's footprint in South Carolina goes well beyond the North Charleston plant's employment numbers. The company operates Boeing Days outreach across every South Carolina county, its Rising Scholars Program brings high school seniors into part-time work at the plant while completing CTE coursework, and the DreamLearners initiative gives fifth graders their first exposure to aerospace manufacturing careers. The Rising Scholars pathway specifically -- high school CTE coursework combined with part-time Boeing employment, followed by U.S. Department of Labor certification and eligibility for the full Scholars apprenticeship program -- represents the kind of integrated pipeline between secondary CTE and manufacturer-employed career launch that other industries frequently discuss but rarely implement.

The Boeing-Trident renewal does not directly expand what happens inside South Carolina's high school aerospace classrooms. But it signals to districts, students, and families that the back end of the aerospace pathway -- the transition from credential to employment -- has institutional support. For CTE educators building aerospace programs in Charleston County and surrounding districts, this employer partnership provides a concrete destination to point students toward when they ask what comes after graduation.