When students returned winter quarter to finish their program, they March 2013 reused their tools to gain an understanding of resin infusion and to create even higher quality composite forms. www.airwashington.org Elise Solima is one of these students. She describes herself as a visual www.facebook.com/AirWashington learner and says she is enjoying the program because of the hands-on nature of the training. She said she is excited about learning this trade because “most everything is fabricated and everything will at some point need repair.” This premise also is true for composites technology and subsequently, this is good for job security and a brighter future. Aside from gaining highly marketable skills, for some students the benefits are far-reaching, impacting other areas of their lives. “This (program) has been very good for me,” said Shana Tennesen, “It has changed my life!” Shana left prison with a GED just five years ago and was full of self-doubt when she started the program. She is proud to say that she has earned a 4.0 GPA after her first quarter and looks forward to what lies ahead. “I am doing so much better, now that I gave myself the opportunity,” she said.

Students Position for a Brighter Future Student Becomes Teacher You’ve seen the movies where a Smells of barbecue and homemade salads fill the composites student is so good at something they manufacturing technology shop at Olympic College on the last day of become the teacher. Well, in this the quarter. The large work tables have been moved aside for an influx case it happened in real life. of new equipment purchased with funds from the Air Washington grant Edwin “Allen” Fischer visited during winter break. Aside from the celebration, the stage is also set for the WorkSource Okanogan Center students to race remote control cars, which they created in class out of Fiber after the lumber mill closed in Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials. 2009. He had been the powerhouse Guy Houser, composites manufacturing faculty, said readers shouldn’t superintendent for 10 years. In that be fooled by the whimsical nature of the race cars. The bodies for the position his responsibilities included remote control cars were fabricated from a female fiberglass reinforced training employees. composite tool fabricated by the students from the original R/C car Lexan After assessment and counseling, Fischer chose the industrial body. They used the same techniques used by composites manufacturers technology and electronics program at Wenatchee Valley College. The to capture and replicate highly detailed, complicated shapes. After center coordinated financial aid from federal and state sources to provide creating the tooling, the students then fabricated their vehicle bodies the support to attend college 100 miles south in Wenatchee. using an epoxy wet layup with either carbon or fiberglass reinforcement, and vacuum bagging techniques. Fischer went after his degree hard, learning new skills, strategies and schematics. He earned a 3.71 GPA his first quarter and was consistently above 3.00 GPA for two years. He regularly stopped in to show staff the new processes he was learning and projects he was working on. His instructors were impressed and Allen helped his classmates understand the material as well. SkillSource promotes the old axiom, “The best way to learn something is to teach it.” Unknowingly, Allen also was practicing his future occupation. Near the end of his education, the college received a grant to expand the aerospace program to the Omak campus. The college needed an instructor and approached Fischer. With his electronics education and powerhouse experience, he fit the bill to teach WVC’s new Omak industrial technology courses. And so, when classes started for the 2012-2013 school year, life imitated art. The student became the teacher and now passes along his knowledge to a new generation of learners. Air Washington Students Visit With OC Connects Electronics Students Aviation Technical Services with “Current” Employers. Aerospace jobs are landing in Moses Lake. Olympic College electronics students and alumni heard directly from Aviation Technical Services (ATS) and Big Bend Community College an employer panel January 23 on how they can find work in the local collaborated to make sure Air Washington students are in the loop when economy. Representatives from six employers including Greysam it comes to job opportunities. Linda Armstrong from ATS visited the Industrial Services, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Keyport, Peninsula BBCC campus to provide information about careers available at ATS, Light Company, PSNS and IMF, Puget Sound Electrical Apprenticeship and what skills are required for a successful career in aircraft repair and and SafeBoats will reach out to program participants, providing tips for maintenance. landing AND keeping a job. This event is open to the public and will be located in the theater on the Olympic College Bremerton campus from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Stephanie Thompson, Air Washington grant manager, says this is an exciting time particularly for industries related to aerospace. Unprecedented demand for aerospace and defense contracts, impending retirements and new technology are creating opportunities for high wage jobs. The employers are interested in growth and need workers willing to train and continue learning on the job. “It is rewarding to help students visualize a pathway beyond training to employment and give them some tools to start their journey to a career,” Thompson stated. Students were able to ask questions about wages, benefits, hours The inspiration for this event came from the Air Washington project, and promotional opportunities. While the ATS hangar is not completely a $20 million U.S. Department of Labor grant designed to expand and renovated, it is already being utilized, and they are looking to fill many enhance aerospace training opportunities at eleven community and positions needed at the Moses Lake facility. Students had the opportunity technical colleges throughout the state. For Olympic College, this award to interview right in the BBCC AMT hangar. An internship agreement totaled $2.2 million over a three year period which allowed them to allowing AMT students to gain valuable work experience while they breathe new life into electronics technology and manufacturing-precision complete their education also is underway. machining, two programs that were tagged for suspension due to budget cuts, and continued support for the composites manufacturing technology Air Washington student inducted into program. Since the grant began, enrollments in the programs have grown Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society exponentially and continue to rise. “Partnership with industry is key to the success of this grant and the Air Washington student, Ted Plumb, has had plenty of challenges sustainability of these programs after the grant ends in September 2014,” sprout up as he looked for a new career. Thompson said, adding that employers keep OC informed on skills needed Ted is 52 years old, and that can be a tough time to look at going in the local workforce and ideally engage with students via internships, back to school. “It was always my dream to go to Big Bend Community work experiences, field trips or guest lecturing. By volunteering their College,” says Plum. time, employers have an edge on hiring the best and brightest graduates. The benefits to students also are increased with real work knowledge and Academics did not come easy for Ted. He struggled to graduate from an increased awareness of job prospects before program completion. high school and was very “math phobic.” He was actually embarrassed in high school because of his difficulty with math, until recently when he got Air Washington Administrative Office to look at math in a different way. Applied math would become the key to Spokane Community College his success. 1810 N Greene St MS 2010 P O Box 6000 “Now I get math because I apply it, I use it,” said Plumb. Spokane WA 99217-6000 The AMT program at BBCC is proving 509-533-8457 or 1-800-248-8657 to be an excellent fit for Plumb. When he talks about his career choice, he is excited to report that “the sky is the limit!” He knows he will go to work This workforce solution was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The solution was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. in the field he is training in, and Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, that feels great. accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This solution is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use, by an organization and/or personal use by an Congrats to Ted for making individual for non-commercial purposes, is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, it into the honor society! visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA. Produced for the Air Washington Consortium by Community Colleges of Spokane. March 2013 J 12-0711