Edmonds Community College will launch a training program next fall to train future workers in how to handle cutting-edge composite materials.
The lightweight materials are increasingly used in the Boeing Co.’s airplanes and would be critical to the production of the proposed Sonic Cruiser.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., visited the composite production building at Boeing’s Everett plant in December to announce $500,000 in federal funding for the new college program.
“Composite materials, I believe, will be the aluminum of the 21st century,” Cantwell said. “They represent an indispensable building block of the next generation of manufacturing.”
Advanced composite materials usually consist of new high-strength fibers embedded in epoxy.
A number of Snohomish County companies, including Boeing subcontractors, boat builders and makers of medical devices, deal with composites, Cantwell said. Composites also make up 10 percent of the parts on the Boeing 777.
That percentage is increasing on each new model, said Liz Otis, general manager of Boeing’s commercial aviation fabrication division.
“Having the ability to get the youth of the future trained … is absolutely critical for the future of the Boeing Co. and Washington state,” she said, thanking Cantwell for her efforts to secure the funding.
Edmonds Community College has an existing reputation in the study of materials science. In 2000, the National Science Foundation gave a $1 million grant to pay for a permanent materials technology laboratory and resource center at the college.
Working with the University of Washington, the college has developed curriculum and programs to teach materials science to high school and community college students. EdCC is now applying for a five-year, $5 million grant to continue that work, said John Rusin, who has led the project.
The composites training money, which comes from this year’s Department of Defense budget, will pay for an additional instructor, lab upgrades and the development of curriculum. Additionally, EdCC’s partner at its Lynnwood campus, Central Washington University, will offer four-year degrees related to composite materials.
“We’re really pleased with this funding,” said Jack Oharah, president of EdCC. “It’s an incredible opportunity for us, and it’s an incredible opportunity for our region.”
The new program comes as Snohomish County tries to convince Boeing that this is the best place to build the high-speed Sonic Cruiser. Having local programs that train people in using composite materials adds to this area’s competitive edge, Cantwell said.
“If I have a hope for this money, it would be that this is a down payment on the next generation of Boeing planes being built here in the Puget Sound area,” she said.
Eric Fetters is a writer for The Herald in Everett.
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