EVERETT — Everett Community College’s popular roster of classes covering high tech, production management, career development and small-business acceleration will move into the newly renovated Corporate and Continuing Education Center near Paine Field in mid-December.
Executive Director John Bonner said the entire interior of the two-story structure was rebuilt to provide improved use of the space, including an expansion to 12 classrooms equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, plus four technology classrooms with high-speed Internet, a conference room, student lounge and a large meeting area for up to 100 people.
Some of the 1986 building’s exterior architecture also was modified to upgrade the facility, giving it a slightly newer appearance, he said.
“We provide professional development, career training and small-business acceleration programs throughout the year for more than 10,000 people, primarily in the business and manufacturing communities,” Bonner said. “We simply had to have more room and more modern facilities as interest in our courses continues to grow.”
Bonner said businesses and individuals who take the courses cover all of the self-supporting program’s cost, so the center receives no state funding. Many programs also are provided on site for a variety of businesses, he said, including those with multiple sites.
“We offer customized training for employers,” he said, “which is particularly important for larger aerospace and manufacturing businesses.”
The Boeing Co.’s backlog for all aircraft produced at the Everett plant — 747, 777, 787 Dreamliner and the 767 production line for new U.S. Air Force aerial tankers — continues to dramatically power the county and regional economy, even while other sectors remain sluggish.
The powerful aerospace sector also drives the needs of the county’s myriad Boeing suppliers who often turn to the Corporate and Continuing Education Center for their own needs.
After nearly a year of providing classes in a cramped, temporary facility at 9930 Evergreen Way, where staff administrative offices each held four people instead of one, the program will return to its renovated headquarters at the center at 2333 Seaway Blvd.
The next quarter’s classes will begin in January at the center.
Originally, the building was constructed in 1986 for electronics training, he said, but about five years ago EvCC President David Beyer “recognized a need to reinvent the center’s approach to serving business and industry.”
Bonner heads two distinctly different program divisions, the education center plus another group focused on professional-technical programs for individuals interested in finding employment in aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries.
“We have a number of aerospace training programs at the college, including plans for an advanced manufacturing center at Paine Field, but the Corporate &Continuing Education Center serves a different specific purpose,” he said.
“This center is all about responding quickly to meet the needs of business and industry with short, industry-aligned training solutions, such as project management, leadership, Lean Six Sigma, electronics troubleshooting and quality assurance training.”
Many of the center’s programs are directed at continuing education and professional improvement for people in career jobs, Bonner said, noting that continuous improvement programs and management skills for a variety of workers are popular.
“People in manufacturing roles may or may not already have college degrees but they all need ongoing professional development and certification training aimed at specific skill sets,” Bonner said. “The classes help them advance their career or improve their value to their employers.”
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Learn more
Find out about EvCC’s Corporate and Continuing Education Center at www.everettcc.edu/ccec or call 425-267-0150.
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