Community and technical colleges ramp up training for composites industry

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

OLYMPIA, WA – Community and technical colleges this week added ammunition in Washington’s bid to convince Boeing to build its next generation airplane – the 777X – in-state. Instructors from nine community and technical colleges were trained and certified to teach the latest composites technology, creating a talent-pool to support the aerospace and marine manufacturing industries. The week-long training ended today (Friday, May 17) and was provided by Abaris, the company contracted to train FAA safety inspectors in advanced composite maintenance and repair.
Composites are high impact, fiber-reinforced resins used in the aerospace, shipbuilding, and construction industries. Boeing 777X wings will be made of this lighter, tougher material.
Instructors from the following colleges participated in the Abaris training with funding from the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges: Bellingham, Big Bend , Everett, Olympic, Peninsula, Skagit Valley, South Seattle, Spokane Community College, and Lake Washington Institute of Technology. Training took place at Seattle Community College’s state-of-the-art composites lab.
The nine colleges formed a consortium led by two Washington State Centers of Excellence: Aerospace and Advanced Materials Manufacturing at Everett Community College; and Marine Manufacturing and Technology at Skagit Valley College. There are a total of ten Centers of Excellence across Washington, all based at community and technical colleges. Each focuses on a targeted industry and provides fast, flexible, quality education and training programs for the entire two-year college system.

“An Abaris training certificate is the gold standard for composites instructors,” said Mary Kaye Bredeson, executive director of the Aerospace Center of Excellence. “We’re producing top-notch instructors who will train students for high-wage, high-demand jobs.”
Abaris is also championing the creation of a national industry composites certificate for graduates. Once adopted, the certificates will prove graduates have mastered the exact skills needed for the job – much like an industry “stamp of approval.” Washington’s two-year colleges will be able to offer the certificates quickly because they already have Abaris-trained instructors in place. “Our community and technical colleges are ahead of the game,” Bredeson said.
The still-young composites industry has sparked a resurgence of quality manufacturing jobs in Washington and provides products, parts, and services to a broad range of sectors including aerospace, automotive, marine, consumer goods, sporting goods and wind energy.
Author- Laura McDowell, State Board for Community & Technical Colleges Communications Director

Pierce County Skills Center offers interaction with industry through Composites lab

Students enrolled in the composites program through Pierce County Skills Center (Bethel School District, Puyallup), can work directly, not only with their instructors, but also with industry leaders in the field.

Most days, aerospace and composite industry leaders work side-by-side with students in the composites lab bringing real life relevancy to their projects.  Not only are the students being presented with work projects, they also can make lasting working relationships with employers in the area.

Pierce County Skills Center in Bethel School District, Washington

This collaborative working environment is also enhanced by staff and advisory council members.  Advisory council members, made up of local manufacturing employers, look at ways to fill needed entry-level positions within their company. They work with school district staff to develop and enhance curriculum to create a manufacturing certificate that upon completion of the program.

These students, upon high school graduation, walk out with a high school diploma along with a manufacturing certificate that ensures them an interview with several participating employers.  While they must sell themselves in the interview process, they do enter the interview familiar with industry requirements and standards and are able to present real world projects that they have developed.

Employers, because of their time in the classroom, have developed working relationships with these students and have become familiar with their work habits and ethics.

Through this partnership, everyone is a winner; the students, faculty and industry!

Industry hopes to fill jobs in metrology and measurement sciences

The Boeing Company recently appealed to Washington community college representatives to develop curriculum related to metrology and measurement sciences.  Representatives from Boeing, the Center of Excellence for Aerospace and Advanced Materials Manufacturing, and Greysam Industrial Services (a local employer with ties into the petrochemical industry) toured the Olympic College (OC) Electronics Lab on Tuesday, March 5^th.

Boeing stated that their metrology departments are divided between electrical and physical/mechanical positions, and although the majority of them are in the physical/mechanical area, the hardest to fill are in the electrical area.  Although the required foundational skills for these positions are very different, a good working knowledge of measurement science is a common denominator to qualify a potential candidate for employment.  It was indicated that the industry standard for measurement science has already been set by the United States Air Force Metrology curriculum.  Any efforts at developing new curriculum should be as closely aligned with their program as possible.

In reviewing OC’s current Associates in Technical Arts degree, faculty member Craig Seybold noted that the first 3-4 quarters of Electronics curriculum is largely the same from college to college, but the quarters 5-6 can differ in their emphasis.  As it is written, OC’s ATA degree offers room for an elective in Q6.  After much discussion, it was determined that a 5 or 6 credit elective in Measurement Science would be a sufficient addition to the two year program to help  qualify students for consideration for employment opportunities as an electrical metrology technician.  Further, it was strongly suggested that metrology and measurement science concepts be integrated into all coursework throughout the two year degree.  This last may be easily adapted into existing coursework, and may not require curriculum approval delays.

A Measurement Science elective would also benefit students in other programs, specifically Composites Manufacturing, Manufacturing-Precision Machining and/or Engineering.

Boeing is planning to tour other colleges of interest to discuss options.  In the interim, the Center of Excellence will take the lead in facilitating a DACUM (designing curriculum) workshop.  It is hoped that a common curriculum and a Measurement Science Certificate could be developed and utilized across all colleges partnering in this endeavor.

 

Director Bredeson heads to Dubai for Washington’s aerospace growth

Center of Excellence for Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing Director, Mary Kaye Bredeson has left for Dubai and Abu Dhabi to generate aerospace business for Washington State.

Center Director, Bredeson to travel to Dubai

Bredeson said, “Everything you read and many of the recent aerospace summits report that the Middle East, particularly Abu Dhabi and Dubai are strongly investing in aerospace.” She noted that the people of the Middle East have realized the need to diversify from their reliance on oil alone for their economy.

To quote Mubadala, the Arabic word for ‘exchange’ – that was established by the Government of Abu Dhabi as a principal agent in the diversification of Abu Dhabi’s economy: “Building on this core mandate, Mubadala leads and supports a number of initiatives designed to engage and inspire younger generations to participate in the opportunities that are being created in the UAE, and encourage a healthy and active lifestyle for all.”

Aerospace, along with educational and healthcare infrastructure are key sectors that the United Arab Emirates are investing in, and supporting for their future. Bredeson will meet with the President of Boeing, Middle East on her visit. She will also meet with other key partners.

Planned Tours:

Strata Manufacturing; partner of Boeing, Middle East

Strata is developing a market leading composite aero structures manufacturing facility based in Al Ain. Designed to meet the demands of the 21st century aerospace industry by working closely with customers and partners, combining leading-edge technology, best practice manufacturing processes and an integrated supply chain, to deliver innovative, cost-effective solutions that drive efficiency and growth. Strata aims to become a Tier 1 supplier; designing, developing and manufacturing major aircraft units, such as wings and empennages for the next generation of commercial aircraft. Strata is supporting the development of the Al Ain Aerospace Park (Nibras).

Abu Dhabi Polytechnic Aviation (AD-Poly Aviation)

Abu Dhabi Polytechnic Aviation (AD-Poly Aviation) is the aviation branch under Abu Dhabi Polytechnic which is an entity within the renowned Institute of Applied Technology. Our mission is to drive forward the Emiratisation of aerospace careers by providing opportunities for young UAE nationals to become qualified in the field of aircraft maintenance. They are determined that our Academy will be regarded as the leading specialized aviation educational establishment in the Middle East.

 AD-Poly Aviation is an “EASA” part 147 Aircraft Maintenance Training Organization

“EASA” is the European Aviation Safety Agency and has accredited this Academy to perform training at the highest international standards. Their facilities incorporate state-of-the-art training and teaching equipment, including workshops, laboratories, and a fully-functioning hangar together with a number of aircraft for the purposes of ground training.

Bredeson will report upon the trip when she returns.

Pre-employment training and testing is gaining momentum in Washington State

One component of Best Practices as recommended by the Center of Excellence for Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing

Recently, we have reported on changes to pre-employment testing for jobs in aerospace and advanced manufacturing in the Best Practices section of the Center of Excellence website. There is movement within aerospace companies toward National Career Readiness Testing as well as with WorkKeys and KeyTrain training and testing.

Learn more about this important change in aviation and aerospace manufacturing in Washington for careers in these fields.

View Best Practices information.

Pre-Order our Career Pathways Guidebook for Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing

Geared toward parents and high school counselors, the Career Pathways Guidebook sheds a light on careers in aerospace and advanced manufacturing in Washington State.

The Guidebook will be published in mid-March and will be submitted to high schools and career counselors statewide. The objective is to tell the pathways story to parents and students who might not otherwise understand the rich opportunities available in our state. Starting in kindergarten and going through high school, there are many opportunities for our students to engage in engineering, aerospace repair, composites, and other fields that can lead to great careers in aerospace.

The Center of Excellence for Aerospace and Advanced Materials Manufacturing has created a Career Pathways Guidebook to show off career in aerospace and advanced manufacturing. Order one today!

Click to pre-order today!

Road Trip! Metrology Lab

A group including faculty and workforce deans from Lake Washington Institute of Technology, North Seattle Community College, Olympic College and myself had the privilege of touring Boeing’s Metrology Lab yesterday, Wednesday, December 19^th.  What an absolute eye opener in being able to see another side of Boeing production and research! The purpose of the tour was to familiarize the faculty and deans about Metrology, Calibration and Traceability. There will be a need in the next few years to make sure we have qualified people to step in and replace our aging workforce. Many industry sectors use Metrology. Aerospace, Automotive, Marine, Information Technology, Food Processing,  just about everything you can think of in our everyday life.

What is Metrology you ask?  Metrology is the science of measurement and its application. It includes all aspects both theoretical and practical with reference to measurements. Whatever their uncertainty, and in whatever fields of science or technology they occur.   I learned some new terms dealing with Metrology; Calibration & Traceability. Calibration is the process where metrology is applied to measurement equipment and processes to ensure conformity with a known standard of measurement, usually traceable to a national standards board. Good measurement relies on the integrity of the measuring equipment used. No matter how sophisticated measuring equipment is, it degrades with time due to thermal, mechanical, electrical, and environmental effects. This degradation affects the reliability of the measurements and may be offset by a process known as calibration. Calibration is simply the comparison of the measuring instrument or equipment’s performance to a reference standard of known accuracy, to determine the errors and adjustment required. Properly calibrated equipment ensures the quality of the measurements made and provides confidence that the company’s products and services meet customer specifications all over the world. Traceability: The basic concept behind calibration is that the measuring equipment should be tested against a standard of higher accuracy. These calibrations need to be done on a planned, periodic basis with evidence of the comparison results being recorded and maintained. The records must include identification of the specific standards used (which must be within their assigned calibration interval), as well as the methods/conditions used in the calibration process. These records should demonstrate an unbroken chain of comparisons that ends at the agency responsible for maintaining and developing a country’s measurement standards NIST.  This demonstrable linkage to national standards, with known accuracy, is known as traceability.  (Wikipedia)

Why is Metrology important?
Measurements have been carried out for as long as civilization has existed. Metrology is basic to the economic and social development of a country. It is concerned with providing accurate measurements which impact our economy, health, safety and general well-being.
We practically measure everything we encounter – e.g. the weight of our food, the volume of our fuel, the distance between two points, the temperature of the room, the noise at the workplace, and the list goes on and on. Wrong measurement results lead to wrong decisions, which can have serious consequences, costing a lot of money and even lives. Therefore it is important to have accurate and reliable measurements.

How is Metrology used in everyday life?

Using the analogy, without Metrology  life would be very difficult. Imagine doing the following without (Metrology) measurement:

• Going to the gas station to fill up your vehicle and trying to figure out whether you are getting an exact gallon of gas for the price you paid.
• The scanners at grocery stores incorrectly reading the bar codes on items you are purchasing.
• Getting your outsourced parts from one country to find out they do not fit the mating part made in another country.
• Over filling (a loss to you) or under filling (illegal by trade laws) jars of peanut butter that you buy at the grocery store.
• Breaking a record at a sporting event by milliseconds and not receiving credit.
• Administering a lifesaving medication when an overdose can have life threatening implications and an under dose can have no effects.
• Imagine having vision correction surgery using a laser technique without knowing whether the laser’s power is accurate.

Metrology is significant in building an airplane. Lake Washington Institute of Technology, North Seattle, and Olympic College are all interested in developing curriculum to meet industry’s need.

Needless to say, the tour was fantastic and enjoyed by all!  A big thank you to Boeing especially Jason and Mantz!!