COSI and Boeing take $550,000 workforce initiative to 20 US cities

The HIVE roadshow will bring hands-on career exploration in aerospace, manufacturing, and emerging technologies directly into schools, starting with 250 eighth-grade students in Newark, Ohio.

Students at Liberty Middle School in Newark, Ohio, hold up their certificates alongside COSI and Boeing representatives at the inaugural HIVE workforce activation on April 28.

Boeing is investing $550,000 in a national workforce roadshow that will bring hands-on career exploration in aerospace, manufacturing, and AI-enabled technologies directly into US schools over the next two years.

The program, called The HIVE (Human Innovation Experience), is developed and run by COSI (Center of Science and Industry) in Columbus, Ohio. It made its first stop on April 28 at Liberty Middle School in Newark, Ohio, where 250 eighth-grade students cycled through six interactive stations modeled on real Boeing job categories.

The format is deliberately localized. Each activation is placed in a region where Boeing and its supplier network actively operate and recruit, meaning the career pathways students encounter are tied to actual employment opportunities in their area rather than abstract industry overviews.

Stations mirror real job categories, not classroom exercises

The six stations at each stop span aerospace manufacturing, robotics, engineering, skilled trades, and AI-enabled technologies. Rather than demonstration-style setups, they are designed to replicate the tools, challenges, and environments professionals work in daily. A virtual reality component also gives students a first-person view of aerospace and manufacturing settings.

After each event, students are enrolled in The HIVE network, which provides follow-up workshops and extended learning sessions. These are structured to build on initial areas of interest and maintain engagement over time.

"The HIVE was built on a simple belief: that every student deserves to see what is possible before they are asked to choose a path," says Dr. Frederic Bertley, President and CEO of COSI. "Boeing's investment in this initiative, and in the students we will reach together, is exactly the kind of partnership that turns that belief into something real and lasting."

Boeing staff from local facilities work alongside students at each stop

At the Newark event, Boeing employees from the company's Heath, Ohio facility worked directly alongside students throughout the day, sharing details of their own roles and career trajectories. Michele Hengey, Senior Community Investor at Boeing, says the investment goes beyond funding.

"It's an investment in early exposure to aerospace, advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies that will build local talent pipelines, strengthen regional economies and create real pathways to jobs," Hengey says.

Next stops include San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

The roadshow moves to San Francisco in May for an America 250 innovation showcase, then to Washington, D.C. in June to coincide with the National STEM Festival. Additional cities and partners will be confirmed as the initiative expands.

The HIVE represents COSI's most significant move into school-embedded, industry-partnered programming delivered outside a museum setting. With 20 cities on the schedule and a two-year timeline, the question is whether localized activations at this scale can create a measurable pipeline between early STEM engagement and regional workforce demand.