Fresh Air

Back to 'Taking Flight eCommunicator: Moving Forward 2012'

Washington State received a $20 million grant in 2011 for the enhancement of training toward careers in aerospace and advanced materials manufacturing in Washington State. It’s essentially a fresh start that will ultimately employ more skilled aerospace and manufacturing workers than ever before. But more than that, it is a catalyst for getting industry representatives and educators on the same page with industry expansion in this state.  

Oversight of the grant is being provided at an advisory level by the Air Washington Executive Advisory Board, established in November 2011. The board, led by the Center of Excellence for Aerospace and Advanced Materials Manufacturing will meet quarterly to serve as advisors for the Air Washington DOL Grant by providing advocacy, equipment recommendations, curriculum recommendations, and support for quality highly skilled aerospace and advanced manufacturing training programs.

Melanie Jordan, president of Aviation Liaison Services, works to facilitate mutually beneficial opportunities for educators, aerospace manufacturers and aviation non-profits in her business. As a member of the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance (PNAA), she works with a team to promote growth of aerospace in the Pacific Northwest and she serves on the Air Washington Executive Advisory Board on behalf of the PNAA.

Board members are nominated to serve with Air Washington, and the board consists of a cross-section of business owners, educators, labor relations, and representatives from groups like PNAA.

Jordan accepted the nomination to the board because “There is alignment from what I do and what is evolving at Air Washington.” In her career, she creates opportunities for these organizations [education and industry] to meet each other to provide opportunities to benefit aerospace in general. She’s been at it since 2004 with Aviation Liaison Services.

According to Jordan, the DOL grant is important to aerospace in Washington because, “It has enabled the state of WA to move quickly and nimbly to capture the opportunity to create aerospace training programs that are aligned with the industry and allow the industry to move forward with meeting the production rates set by Boeing and Airbus.” She further elaborates that aerospace partners across the state produce parts for Boeing and Airbus, and are ramping up production.

By being awarded a grant of this magnitude, Jordan concludes, “It allows our citizens to have the opportunity to learn about the aerospace industry, find opportunities, and get jobs. Washington State is lucky because we do have manufacturing jobs. I don't think any state offers the types of opportunities we have with aerospace in Washington State."

Air Washington Advisory Board will meet again in January and will conduct activities like meeting with aerospace and manufacturing businesses in the state to learn how they operate, what equipment they need, and what type of training their employees need. They will meet with community college deans to discuss curriculum development that will meet an industry need. Lastly they will work to ensure that there is a correlation between the type of equipment within our businesses and those in our colleges.

"It's an exciting time in aerospace training in the state of Washington. The grant was a catalyst to help groups work together quickly. There is an alignment of thinking and effort to get this done. It is an outreach to all of Washington State, a collective effort that encompasses a broad base of our population," Jordan notes.

Executive Advisory Board Members

• Mary Kaye Bredeson, Chair CoE for Aerospace
• Dave Cox, SCC, Dean, Air Washington Lead
• Carol Weigand, Air Washington Project Manager, SCC rep
• Dixie Simmons, SBCTC Rep
• Dennis Wallace, OSPI Rep
• Randall Julian, INWAC Rep
• Todd Woodard, AFA Rep
• Melanie Jordon, PNAA Rep
• Michael Greenwood, Boeing Rep
• Larry Brown, Labor Rep
• FAA Rep
• Sean Murphy, Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition Rep