Hire A&P Apprentices in Corpus Christi, Texas

Lockheed Martin assembles the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter in Fort Worth, Texas, where it delivered a record 191 jets in 2025, surpassing the program's previous high of 142. Demand for certificated mechanics is strong — training an apprentice under 14 CFR 65.77 lets your shop grow its own A&Ps instead of competing for them.

Yes — more than a dozen across the state, including Tarrant County College (Fort Worth), Texas State Technical College (Waco, Harlingen, and Abilene), Dallas College (program launched 2025), Aviation Institute of Maintenance (Irving and Houston), Hallmark University (San Antonio), and LeTourneau University (Longview) — see the full list in the apprentice-pipeline section on this page. School students and graduates are one recruiting pipeline — but under 14 CFR 65.77 your hires don't need school at all; supervised experience in your shop alone qualifies them to test.

Not a tax credit, but Texas runs a real refund: the Apprenticeship Tax Refund Pilot (Texas Tax Code §151.4292) refunds state sales and use taxes up to $2,500 per qualified apprentice. It applies to apprentices in a DOL-Registered Apprenticeship Program — informal 14 CFR 65.77 OJT doesn't qualify — and it's a pilot program with an annual application window, so confirm current status and eligibility with the Texas Workforce Commission.

Check the relocation line on their profile — apprentices state whether they're willing to relocate, and many will move for the right training opportunity. To maximize the quality of apprentice recruits, fill out your supervisor listing inside your account — once published, it shows to apprentices across the Grease Pilot network.

Keep a dated, task-level log, signed as the work happens. The FAA's own guidance for the experience review lists an “AMT log signed by your supervising mechanic” and a statement from your employer among the documentary evidence an inspector accepts — and the more evidence, the better. Note that time spent in training doesn't count; practical experience means actually performing maintenance. Grease Pilot's OJT tracking does this for you: it logs each task by FAA ACS subject, captures your digital supervisor sign-offs, and exports an FAA-ready PDF package when your apprentice is ready to apply. Grease Pilot also generates signed employer verification letters — the employer statement the FAA lists as accepted evidence — to back up the log.