HIGHLIGHTS AT COE
MechaWA and COE had a booth at PNAA 2021 Conference
Mary Kaye and Wes Allen from Sno-Isle Tech Skills Center co-hosted "Keys to Successfully Navigate the 21st Century Work Environment" panel at WSCA Annual Conference on February 28

A Note from the Executive Director
I will be retiring from the Center of Excellence for Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing (COE) effective May 1, 2021. This was a difficult decision to come to, and I greatly appreciate the time I have spent in Higher Education and the 17 years with the COE. Your support over the years has helped make COE a valid resource for our industry partners and the 34 community and technical colleges that offer aerospace, aviation and advanced manufacturing.

Through this collaboration, we have been successful in obtaining several Department of Labor grants, State Workforce allocation grants and a very prestigious NIST grant for metrology, totaling over $35M and serving over 10,000 students.

I am working closely with John Bonner, Vice President, Corporate & Workforce Training | Campus Safety & Security at Everett Community College to ensure a seamless transition.

Although I will miss the COE team, I am excited about the quality time I’ll get to spend with my family and the exciting plans awaiting me. Again, thank you for your support but mainly your friendship over the past 17 years.
COE would like to thank Senator Maria Cantwell and Congressman Rick Larsen for championing the Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection Act.
- Industry Updates + Collaboration -
Building an Equitable Career Connected Learning System

Washington state has more trade, health care and STEM jobs than we can fill. The Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS) connects our state’s leading industries with top Washington talent by reducing barriers to education and training in eligible degree, certificate and apprenticeship programs. WSOS prepares Washington students to meet our state’s workforce shortages through a unique public-private partnership model that includes financial assistance, career services and student supports. The Career and Technical Scholarship (CTS) provides up to $1,500 each quarter to fund a high-demand credential at Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges. Over 1,600 trade, health care or STEM programs are eligible for CTS funding across Washington state. These programs were selected based on the jobs our communities need most such as nursing, welding and information technology.

Source: WorkforceGPS
TechHire Participant Voices Podcast Features MechaWA

Chris from Everett Community College was featured on the TechHire Voices Podcast series. He is one of five participants and the only local to Washington State. Chris highlighted our MechaWA Partnership Project, it is creating a career pathway to award TechHire participants with a mechatronics Associate of Technical Arts degree in order to jumpstart their career in local IT and aerospace industries.

Conversations around workforce development, apprenticeship models, and the future of work often highlight insights from employers and college presidents. The Participant Voices podcast series aims to weave the voices of workers and learners into these conversation, by lifting the voices of the TechHire participant community in order to reach grantees nationwide and help them continue to build, sustain, and/or scale their training programs.
The New Part 147

Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 147 governs aviation maintenance technician schools that hold a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certificate. Since 1962, neither the regulation, nor the subject areas it dictates be taught, have significantly changed. During the same time, the design regulations mandating the standards to which a civil aviation article must be certificated and maintained have changed innumerable times. These changes have enhanced safety significantly; they also mandate more sophistication and knowledge in maintenance personnel.

On Dec. 27, 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act. In section 135, Congress directed the FAA to remove and replace the current part 147 with community-drafted language. Under the law, the FAA is required to promulgate the new rule by March 27, 2021.
About Unmanned Systems Industry Council (USIC)

The mission of the Unmanned Systems Industry Council (USIC) is to be Washington State's leading organization in the promotion and enhancement of the unmanned and autonomous industry with a primary focus on aviation. USIC seeks to shape economic growth opportunities by promoting advocacy and legislative awareness, and collaboratively identifying and implementing solutions that answer complex problems facing industry and the public sectors.

Members of the Council consist of The Department of Commerce - Aerospace; the Washington State Department of Transportation - Aviation Division; The Center of Excellence for Aerospace and Advance Manufacturing; and an established Industry Lead partner.

The USIC understands the importance and benefits that unmanned and autonomous systems will play in our future commercial infrastructure, and the critical steps that must still be taken to foster growth in this segment within Washington.

Source: Core Plus Aerospace Annual Report
Boeing Workforce Development

Boeing's Manufacturing Internship and Fellowship programs continue to have a lot of interest. There were 51 Spring Manufacturing Fellowship applicants, 119 Core Plus Aerospace Summer Intern applicants, and 32 applicants to the Tooling/Machining Summer Internship.

Boeing is also a proud partner and supporter of Core Plus Aerospace. Amidst the many challenges of the past year, they are excited to see student interest in manufacturing continue to grow, and are inspired by the dedication shown by the instructors and staff at their 44 partner high schools and skill centers.
- Upcoming Events -