From South Seattle Community College President Gary Oertli:

What a way to start the first day of fall quarter …

The Department of Labor announced awards today under the Trade Adjustment Act – Community College Career Training Program (CCCTP). The competition was an unprecedented investment in community colleges, the largest since the GI Bill. South Seattle Community College was a part of four proposals, two local and two national consortiums. Two of the four projects were funded for a total of $2.4 million headed our way over the next 3 years for our aerospace program and our STEM initiatives with composites. Only 32 grants were given out across the nation. South received two!

Air Washington, a state-wide consortium of 11 community and technical colleges, will build capacity in the aerospace sectors. South will increase and enhance our delivery of Composites and Airframe & Powerplant programs. South will receive $1.4 million under this partnership.

National STEM Consortium, a consortium of 10 community and technical colleges across the country, seeks to develop a portfolio of one-year portable STEM certificate programs. South will expand our Composites certificate program and will receive $1 million under this consortium.

Local partners such as the Boeing Company, Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Council and the Seattle-King County Workforce Development Council were instrumental in these successful proposals.

Congratulations to Wendy Price, our Director of Grants, and numerous staff and faculty that worked on these proposals.

Gary Oertli