About the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee

There is a shortage of skilled workers in the aerospace industry and, as more workers retire, the trend is growing. In order to address this issue, in 2008, 3 million dollars was put into the Washington State budget to develop on-the-job training programs to instruct workers in the aerospace industry. The training programs will be in the form of the Washington State aerospace apprenticeship programs.

The Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (AJAC) was born out of this initiative to manage and facilitate the development and growth of the aerospace apprenticeship programs in Washington State. The AJAC committee is comprised of industry employers, employees, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). The AJAC committee has equal representation from the different segments of the aerospace industry.

The aerospace apprenticeship programs are a statewide initiative. The AJAC is located in Seattle and Spokane; however, apprenticeship programs can be created in any part of Washington State.