New program will help train students for careers at JetZeros Greensboro plant

The groundbreaking of JetZero's $4.7 billion production and headquarters hub at Piedmont Triad International Airport isn't the only significant event taking off Monday.

The fledgling aircraft manufacturer announced a year-long workforce training collaboration with Deloitte for students at UNC Greensboro and the Guilford County Schools, among others.

The groundbreaking comes a year and three days after the company announced its commitment to hire 14,560 employees - the largest single economic-development job pledge in North Carolina history.

The Deloitte Believers is a national initiative designed to prepare students for STEM-related careers through learning and practical experience.

Since Deloitte Believers was established in 2022, more than 35,000 students have gone through the program, officials said.

Also participating is Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and National Math and Science Initiative.

The program expects to serve about 5,000 students and educators in Guilford County.

The initiative launches with an eight-day summer educator workshop and ongoing assessments facilitated by UNCG.

The workshops will focus on hands-on robotics, artificial intelligence, engineering, computer science and classroom application strategies, with continuous support throughout the academic year.

According to Deloitte Believers, "participants will apply their skills in their classrooms and take part in reflection, evaluation and follow-up activities to measure impact and support sustained implementation."

JetZero's Z4 aircraft is being marketed as the "world's first commercial blended wing-body airplane."

The aircraft is being designed to seat between 200 and 250 passengers, fly up to 5,000 nautical miles and is compatible with existing airport infrastructure and sustainable aviation fuel, the company has said.

"Extending the Believers program to Greensboro means local students will have real paths into the kinds of careers being built in their own backyard," said Brian Umbenhauer, Believers program founder and an executive sponsor and principal with Deloitte.

"As we help JetZero deliver its new smart manufacturing facility, we're also invested in opening doors for the next generation of local STEM talent."

Schools Superintendent Whitney Oakley said the Deloitte Believers initiative has the potential to "create opportunities that can transform lives."

Tom O'Leary, JetZero's co-founder and chief executive, said the Deloitte Believers initiative will serve to help "keep the pipeline full" of future local employees.

"We need to invest in the next generation," O'Leary said. "By bringing the Believers program to local schools, we're not just developing our future workforce, we're partnering with educators to give students hands-on STEM experiences that open doors to tomorrow's careers.

"Together, we're strengthening both our community's economy and its spirit of innovation."

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.