Eighteen-year-old Keating Carpenter graduated from Spaulding High School in June, and he’s now a composite technician at BETA Technologies. He used the Career Pathway Entry Program (CPEP) to land the full-time gig. “Electric aviation is something brand new, and BETA is kind of paving the way in that field,” he said. “I just thought it would be really exciting and cool to work here, especially right out of high school.”

Keating always had an interest in engineering. “As a little kid I would look up how planes worked and how jet engines worked and all that. It just has always kind of stuck with me.”

Now, he’s working for one of the most successful businesses in Vermont. The South Burlington-based electric aircraft manufacturer is a leader in the global revolution of air travel—their November debut on Wall Street raised more than $1 billion. BETA was founded in 2017 by Kyle Clark, who attended Essex High School before earning a Harvard degree and playing in the NHL. Clark delivered the keynote address at CCV’s 2023 commencement, and CCV has partnered with BETA on a number of workforce development initiatives.

CPEP offers students a “pre-hire” exploration phase, combining a 3-credit college class, job shadows, industry credentials, and a stipend. The “post-hire” development phase offers an earn-and-learn opportunity for participants to start earning a paycheck while also continuing their training. “It offers people this way of gaining this insight into a new career and building skill without actually having to quit their day job,” says Sarah DeShaw, workforce development lead at BETA. “So they can continue working, supporting their families, supporting themselves…it gives them that sort of entrance-way without actually having to fully commit.”

Keating found out about CPEP through a work-based learning class during his senior year of high school. After graduation, he took an online CCV course and traveled to BETA for job shadows, where he rotated through the four departments that were hiring at the time. “We would get about two hours with the lead in that position and they would tell us about what the average day would look like and we would get a sense of what it would be like to work here, or be in that position, if we were to be hired on,” Keating explained. At the end of the summer, he started as an intern, and was hired full-time in November.

“I was able to maintain every other aspect of my life,” he said of participating in CPEP. “Working part-time, having enough time to be with my family and do any other hobbies I have, while also being able to do the course and earn credentials that would land me here.”

CPEP offers a clear and accessible pathway to new employment opportunities for career seekers and changers. At the same time, it supports employers as they aim to expand talent pools and improve retention. “Working with CCV and the CPEP program allows us to diversify the pipeline of folks that we’re bringing to BETA, and it’s been really a rich part of the hiring process,” said DeShaw. “It gives this on-ramp to folks that they might not have had if they didn’t have this extended exposure to BETA and also the opportunity to gain those skills through CCV.”

“Aerospace can be a little off-putting, but at the heart of it we’re a bunch of Vermonters that are rolling up our sleeves and working hard. Programs like CPEP really allow folks to have an inside look at what we’re trying to build and the team we’re trying to make.”

CPEP pathways are available in manufacturing, human services, and healthcare. Learn more and register for spring 2026 at ccv.edu/cpep.