Joby Aviation has been awarded a $9.8 million California Competes grant by the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to support its continued state-wide expansion.

The grant will assist in financing a significant expansion of Joby's facilities in Marina, California, supporting higher manufacturing volumes and initial training for pilots and aircraft maintainers, as well as continued hiring at the company's other offices in San Carlos and Santa Cruz, California. As part of the agreement, Joby has committed to invest $41.3 million and create 690 additional full time jobs in the state by 2027.

"We're honoured to receive a prestigious CalCompetes grant from our home state of California to support pilot training and the growth of our manufacturing facilities in advance of early operations," says founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt. "Joby was founded in 2009, today employs more than 1,250 people across the state, and we're thrilled to be able to keep growing in California as we deliver revolutionary emissions-free flight."

The grant will also help expand Joby's existing apprenticeship programme, which offers career opportunities for Salinas Valley residents, starting with paid on-the-job training at the Marina manufacturing facility. Originally established in partnership with the Monterey Bay Drone, Automation and Robotics Technology (DART) Initiative with funding from the James Irvine Foundation, Joby has hired more than 30 composite fabrication, aircraft assembly and equipment maintenance technicians through the programme to date.

Bruce Delgado, Mayor of Marina, says: "Marina is excited that, with this CalCompetes grant, Joby will be able to expand production capabilities at our Marina Municipal airport, creating hundreds of local jobs. The funding will also support Joby in expanding its research and development hub here in Marina."

Maria Elena Manzo, project director of Mujeres en Acción, adds: "We are the solutions to each other's problems. Joby has high-road jobs and we have an eager, able and hardworking community ready to contribute to and benefit from Joby's success. This is a real partnership, a model of inclusive economic development done with the community, not for the community. We are learning together and ready to do more."

While Joby plans to manufacture aircraft in support of initial operations from its California-based facilities, the company will locate its first scaled manufacturing plant in the birthplace of aviation. The facility in Dayton, Ohio will be capable of delivering up to 500 aircraft per year, supporting up to 2,000 clean manufacturing jobs.

Joby currently has more than 160 open positions in California.