Category: Apprenticeship

August 5, 2024

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July 20, 2021

The Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance (PNAA) invited AJAC and Tool Gauge to their Factory Friday Tour event to discuss workforce training solutions including registered apprenticeship programs for advanced manufacturing. The…

April 2, 2021

Meet Connor Snell, a Production Technician (Youth Apprentice) through the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (AJAC). Connor launched his career in manufacturing after receiving an offer from WEMCO, Inc., a Spokane-based…

March 22, 2021

AJAC Machinist apprentice, Mallory Martindale, was invited to speak on a panel regarding women in nontraditional occupations hosted by WANTO. Mallory is nearly complete with her four-year machining apprenticeship, and…

March 5, 2021

Nyck Davis spent his afternoons measuring objects around his house. The COVID-19 pandemic forced Nyck to reimagine himself, not as a former automotive technician at Mercedes Benz, but as a…

February 26, 2021

Hector Martinez enrolled in AJAC’s two-year Automation Technician (Youth) Apprenticeship program in 2019 after receiving an offer from Yakima Chief Hops. Hector went to Toppenish High School and was also…

February 23, 2021

America’s youngest workers, particularly young adults of color, are facing the most dire employment prospects since the Great Depression. As our nation looks toward recovery, and policymakers and investors seek…

February 5, 2021

  AJAC’s Regional Program Manager, Heather Collins, and Manufacturing Academy instructor, Stephen Matczak, sat down with Michelle Smith from the South Central Workforce Council to talk about AJAC’s exciting new apprenticeship…

January 21, 2021

The Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (AJAC) is excited to offer a new CNC Programmer Apprenticeship this spring! This program combines on-the-job training (OJT) with evening classes one night a week. AJAC…

December 15, 2020

Kailey Harding’s interest in manufacturing first peaked when she saw students making carbon fiber skateboards at the Pierce County Skills Center. As an avid longboarder, she was immediately drawn to…

November 23, 2020

Lift off! Take your career from the launch pad to the stratosphere | Kent Reporter Aurelia Greene has completed all of the college-level classwork for her Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee…

November 12, 2020

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2020, AJAC sat down with former machinist graduate, Evan Thomas, for a candid interview about his apprenticeship experience. Our 24-minute conversation covered a wide variety…

November 9, 2020

Advanced manufacturing apprenticeships launch out-of-this-world opportunities | HeraldNet.com Mallory Martindale’s apprenticeship with the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee is almost complete. She’s been working in manufacturing since she graduated high school,…

October 2, 2020

Meet Noah Retallic, a 17 year-old Automation Technician Youth Apprentice through the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (AJAC). Noah enrolled in the Youth Apprenticeship in Spring 2020 and immediately began his…

June 19, 2020

AJAC’s annual graduation ceremony at the Museum of Flight was postponed this year due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Although we will celebrate all of our graduates during the 2021…

May 15, 2020

AJAC hosted two Youth Apprenticeship Webinars to better connect students, parents, and counselors with our next cohorts kicking off Summer 2020. During the webinars we discuss the following: program benefits,…

May 15, 2020

Nathan Hall, a Tool & Die Maker Apprentice at SEA-LECT Plastics in Everett, Washington was tasked to help combat the spread of COVID-19 by creating a custom injection molded face…

September 23, 2019

The Wells Fargo Foundation, established in the U.S. as a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization in 1980, is the company’s primary philanthropic funding arm. In 2018, the foundation donated nearly half…

July 11, 2019

On June 28, 2019, nearly 100 newly registered Youth Apprentices from across Washington State celebrated the beginning of their apprenticeship at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington. Signing Day brought…

June 18, 2019

On June 14, 2019, the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee graduated 79 registered apprentices representing 48 companies from across Washington State. The apprentices were joined by their family, friends, and colleagues…

June 6, 2019

It’s six in the morning at Tool Gauge, a Tacoma, Washington manufacturer that creates complex, high-quality plastic and metal parts and assemblies for the global aerospace industry. In walks a…

June 6, 2019

AJAC is thrilled to announce 10 new partnerships and grant funding we have received to help support local partners and workforce development initiatives to advance apprenticeships here in Washington State.…

April 29, 2019

KING 5 News interviewed former AJAC machinist apprentice, Evan Thomas about why he chose to pursue an apprenticeship after high school, even when his friends were off to four-year colleges.…

February 18, 2019

New Video Provides a Cinematic Look at Registered Youth Apprenticeship in Washington State. SEATTLE, WA-Washington State Governor Jay Inslee calls it the “supply train for the supply chain”. Aerospace and…

October 26, 2018

During a private meeting at Cadence Aerospace, Governor Inslee and his staff met with representatives from the aerospace manufacturer, AJAC and current Youth Apprentices to discuss how the registered Youth…

October 9, 2018

Family based. Good pay. Good benefits. Those were the three takeaways from students who toured Buyken Metal Products last Thursday as part of a nationwide celebration of manufacturing. Manufacturing Day—occurring…

July 3, 2018

On June 27, 2018, 67 newly registered Youth Apprentices signed their letter of agreement signifying a commitment to work in the aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries through the  Aerospace Joint…

June 29, 2018

SEATTLE, WA – On Friday, June 22nd, Washington State became home to 72 new aerospace and advanced manufacturing journeymen and women apprentices. The Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (AJAC) recognized the…

May 7, 2018

Seth Hamilton was nearing his 17th birthday and knew he wasn’t going to college. His after-high-school plans did not involve a four-year institution. Rising student loans and lack of finances…

February 1, 2018

Apprenticeships are not an alternative to higher education. It is higher education. This sentiment rang loud and true during the 2018 Governor’s Youth Apprenticeship Summit, which in its second year,…

January 10, 2018

Governor Inslee delivered his annual State of the State Address to the Washington State Senate and the State House of Representatives on January 9, 2018. During his speech, Governor Inslee…

January 9, 2018

A new report performance audit for Washington State emphasizes the state’s need to better align high-growth, high-demand occupations with career and technical education (CTE) courses currently offered in high school.…

January 8, 2018

Trevor Mohon, a first-year machinist apprentice at RTC Aerospace – Fife Division, discusses his decision to pursue machining after high school. Trevor explains how this industry has challenged him, the…

December 13, 2017

Kent, Washington has a new home for advanced manufacturing. The Advanced Manufacturing Prep (AMP) Training Center was unveiled during a grand opening on December 6th in partnership with the City…

December 12, 2017

On October 16, 2017, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee met with the partners, community organizations and local-area employers to discuss how the first year of Youth Apprenticeship has gone. The…

November 29, 2017

On October 6, 2017, students from the Tacoma Public Schools (TPS) toured Gensco, Inc. as part of Manufacturing Day. Manufacturing Day is a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire…

July 10, 2017

To become a journey-level worker signifies a changing of the guard – an ideology that mastery occurs on the job – not solely in the classroom. For AJAC’s 49 apprentice…

July 7, 2017

Washington STEM, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) and AJAC gave a joint presentation on all-things Youth Apprenticeship during a live webinar on June 26, 2017. Josie Bryan…

June 29, 2017

In partnership with the Office of the Governor, the Workforce Board, WSU Extension, and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Washington STEM traveled across the state to explore…

May 3, 2017

Yakima’s West Valley High School was given the baton last week to launch their first AJAC Youth Apprenticeship program. High school juniors Trevor Mackey, Osborne Rogers, and Bradley Ethier individually…

April 17, 2017

On Monday, April 24, Grays Harbor Youth Works, Greater Grays Harbor, Inc., Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee, and Grays Harbor College worked together to provide North Beach and Lake Quinault High…

April 10, 2017

All eyes were on Pacific Machine last week as the city of Tacoma ushered in a new era of career-connected learning. The decade-old mindset of ‘every student should attend a…

March 13, 2017

AJAC’s Youth Apprenticeship program continues to garner attention across our region as the first group of students prepare to begin their apprenticeship in high school. Seth Hamilton, one of our…

February 16, 2017

AJAC was honored to receive PNAA’s “Inspire” award during the annual Aerospace Conference in Lynnwood, Washington. AJAC’s Executive Director, Lynn Strickland accepted the award during the Aerospace Excellence Awards Banquet.…

January 31, 2017

c What will your new role at AJAC include? As Program Manager of Instruction, I will work with subject matter experts, curriculum developers, and instructors to review existing and develop…

January 26, 2017

From left to right: Jody Robbins (L&I), Ron Langrel (Bates Technical College), Lynn Strickland (AJAC), John Altman (Governor’s Office) and Tom Layson (KBTC) The Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (AJAC) was…

January 23, 2017

From left to right: John Page from Tacoma Public School, Kristi Grassman, AJAC, Lynn Strickland, AJAC, Jesse Cote from IAM 751 and Sandra Husbands, L&I at the Washington Apprenticeship Training Council…

November 4, 2016

(From left to right) Governor Jay Inslee, Lynn Strickland and Jesse Milbrath Over the last two years, the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, the…

October 7, 2016

The Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee partnered with Training Agent Buyken Metal Products for the third annual Manufacturing Day in Kent, Washington. Over 40 students from Kentridge High School and Kent…

September 16, 2016

  The Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee, in partnership with the YWCA and South Seattle College hosted the first-ever Women in Manufacturing Symposium at South Seattle College – Georgetown Campus, highlighting…

August 29, 2016

In 2012, the median age in manufacturing was nearly 45 years old, a number that is expected to rise continually over the next decade. An influx of young talent into…

August 29, 2016

  AJAC’s Training Agent Aeroplastics was recently interviewed by Seattle’s KING-TV to highlight their efforts in creating parts for industries outside of aerospace. Watch the clip above and read more…

August 29, 2016

Tommy grew up in a big family with three brothers and two sisters in Grays Harbor on Washington State’s coast. He was involved in school and sports as a young…

August 29, 2016

[vimeo src=167495188] The Victory Series | Episode 12 Featuring Matt Washburn of Senior Aerospace AMT from 4th Avenue Media on Vimeo. How a business leader is keeping manufacturing and machining…

August 29, 2016

AJAC Machinist Graduate, Irwin Downes shaking hands with IAM 751 Organizer, Jesse Cote TUKWILA — Apprenticeships have the power to change lives. That’s the message graduates of the Aerospace Joint…

August 29, 2016

Join us for this forum and networking event introducing women to career and training opportunities in the exciting and dynamic field of advanced manufacturing. Hear from a panel of women…