GE Aerospace has announced the launch of the GE Aerospace Foundation, celebrating a new chapter that builds on the more than 100 year-legacy of the previous GE Foundation.

The GE Aerospace Foundation's philanthropic strategy and programs will help fulfill the company's purpose to "lift people up" in GE Aerospace communities, with a focus on workforce development, disaster relief and amplifying the efforts of GE Aerospace employees.

GE Aerospace has 52,000 employees worldwide, including a major base at Bishop's Cleeve where it employs about 1,850 people.

GE Aerospace chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr said: "The responsibility to support and strengthen the communities where we live and work is one that GE Aerospace takes seriously. The launch of the GE Aerospace Foundation will help transform local communities and develop a stronger workforce for the future by leveraging our unique expertise as a global leading aerospace company.

"We are proud to carry on a 100-year legacy of positive impact, and I look forward to seeing the GE Aerospace Foundation continue to make a difference for many years to come."

The Foundation's programmes will focus on three core areas and represent more than $22 million in new programming through to 2030. Efforts will include cultivating a robust and diverse workforce in the manufacturing and engineering industries, investing in humanitarian and community programmes that have demonstrated efficacy in global impact, and amplifying employee engagement worldwide.

GE Aerospace Foundation president Meghan Thurlow said: "We are immensely proud to oversee this next chapter of philanthropic support with a focus on a stronger future workforce, disaster relief and amplifying employee giving. We look forward to expanding our work supporting communities around the globe and advancing the development of a more diverse and skilled industry."