Snohomish County’s Aerospace Training Institute
might just be the start of something bigger.
The newly unveiled
plan to partner community colleges and aerospace companies was lauded as
exemplary Wednesday when Sen. Patty Murray laid out a plan to create a
new federal board to bolster workforce development programs for teens.
If
the “Promoting Innovations to 21st Century Careers” bill is successful,
the federal grant program would distribute $912 million in its first
year, Murray said Wednesday. States and regional governments could apply
for grants based on their development need, with the intent of creating
innovative training programs.
“Our goal is to kick-start the
economy by using this federal funding as seed money throughout the
nation,” Murray said.
No immediate uses for the so-far
unappropriated millions have been identified, and that wouldn’t be
determined until applications were submitted to the grant program,
called the National Academic and Career Innovation Center.
But
Murray talked about the possibility of aerospace training programs in
Snohomish County and agricultural development in Yakima and Wenatchee.
“I
believe that in this very tough economic climate, there are a lot of
opportunities,” she said. “We have great opportunities for young people
today.”
The grants would be competitive, and governments would
have to “show their work” with local employers and educational
institutions, Murray said. Regular reports would be made to Congress to
justify how grant money was spent.
During a call with reporters
Wednesday, state officials made an example of plans for the aerospace
institute, so far aided by a two-year lease from Snohomish County and a
partnership with community colleges and an aerospace group.
Training
hasn’t kept pace with rapid technological growth in the work force,
said Eleni Papadakis, executive director of the state State Workforce
Training and Education Coordinating Board.
At last count, about
65 percent of the jobs tracked by the state’s labor office didn’t exist
30 years ago.
“We know business is in the throes of
transformation,” Papadakis said.
In theory, grants would help
close the gap between high-skill jobs and low-skill workers by educating
high school students.
State Superintendent of Public
Instruction Randy Dorn cast his vote for the proposed grant program
Wednesday, saying it “adds tremendous value to students” by paving a way
to family-wage careers.
“I appreciate the scope of the bill,”
Dorn said. “Its value to business and labor comes from getting students
engaged early in a trade or industry.”
Murray is sponsoring the
legislation with Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass. Read the full text of the
bill at http://murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=21stCenturyCareers
– Everett Herald
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