A new 14,000-square-foot aerospace and defense training facility has opened at Chandler-Gilbert Community College's Williams Campus in Mesa, built with $6.4 million in state funding and designed to train up to 1,000 students a year. The center sits next to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, on a campus with deep roots in military aviation, and it formally opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs.
The facility is funded by the Arizona Commerce Authority, according to KTAR News 92.3 FM, and is the latest piece of the state's broader Future48 Workforce Accelerator program. That $30 million statewide initiative, launched in June 2023, is funding customized training centers at community colleges in Mesa, Phoenix, Yuma, Kingman, Tucson, and Apache Junction, targeting high-growth sectors including semiconductors, battery manufacturing, solar, and aerospace, per the Office of Strategic Initiatives at the Arizona Governor's office. Hobbs said the program helps build the state's postsecondary pathways, adding that education, industry and government partners can work together to build pathways for opportunity.
A Campus Built on Aviation History
The Williams Campus occupies the former site of Williams Air Force Base, which served as the U.S. Air Force's primary pilot training facility from 1941 to 1993 and produced 25 percent of all USAF pilots, according to Chandler Gilbert Community College. The base reuse plan created a joint educational campus adjacent to the newly established Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in the mid-1990s, folding that military legacy directly into the college's current aviation programs.
The new center offers hands-on training and credentials in aerospace and defense, supporting workforce development.
Industry Partners Shaped the Curriculum
To keep lessons aligned with real-world hiring needs, CGCC formed a Business & Industry Leadership Team Advisory Board made up of 16 regional industry partners and postsecondary experts, with leadership input from Boeing, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, Embraer, Gulfstream Aerospace, Virgin Galactic, and Comtech Telecommunications, the college said. That board worked directly with faculty to shape the Future48 equipment and lessons to match students' future careers, and the facility itself was built with the advisory board's help. CGCC's Valerie Jones called the facility the next era of aviation, per KTAR.
The center is positioned inside an aviation hub surrounding Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, where more than 60 aerospace and advanced technology companies maintain active operations, according to the Arizona Commerce Authority. That airport corridor has become an industrial focal point for aircraft manufacturing, maintenance, and air cargo logistics — a buildout Hoodline previously covered when logistics giant DSV broke ground on a cargo hub nearby.
Why the State Is Betting Big on Aerospace
Hobbs pointed to the state's long ties to military aviation, from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson to Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, saying Arizona's aerospace and defense industries need more workers as they continue to grow.
Federal defense spending adds another layer of demand. Arizona secured more than $19.5 billion in DoD contracts in fiscal year 2025, per the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. Hobbs said thousands of Arizonans will now have access to training that leads to family-sustaining jobs, stable careers, and long-term economic mobility.
Second Future48 Award for the Maricopa District
The CGCC center is part of the Future48 Workforce Accelerator program at the Maricopa County Community College District. The district is leveraging state investments to target two of Arizona's largest tech manufacturing booms at once — semiconductors and aerospace.
Drive48, an advanced manufacturing training center in Casa Grande, is a partnership between the Arizona Commerce Authority, Central Arizona College, and EV maker Lucid Motors, and has trained more than 2,500 Lucid employees, per the commerce authority. CGCC's aerospace hub provides hands-on training using equipment aligned with industry needs, supporting Arizona's broader aerospace and defense workforce push.
The Arizona Community College Workforce Scholarship Program serves students in eligible fields.
