SEA-TECH aerospace grant

The Southeast Area Technical Skills Center (SEA-TECH), on the campus of Walla Walla Community College, has received a $75,000 grant from the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to support aerospace manufacturing technical programs.

SEA-TECH students enrolled in James Polson’s Advanced Manufacturing and Welding class will benefit from this grant. Goals of the grant include increasing quality and rigor, developing skills for aerospace industry employment and expanding awareness of careers in these manufacturing fields. Grant funds will be used to enhance the program to help students learn to read and interpret engineering drawings, acquire math skills for aerospace assembly and experience how to operate a variety of tools necessary for employment in the aerospace industry.

These additional funds will also be used for equipment, curriculum advancements and instructor training in Polson’s class. The SEA-TECH Aerospace Grant scored number one for all of the skills center applicants for the 2014-15 school year grant cycle.

SEA-TECH is a branch campus of the Tri-Tech Skills Center in Kennewick. Walla Walla Public Schools is the host district with College Place, Dayton, Prescott, Touchet and Waitsburg as its partner districts. Students will spend three hours per day at SEA-TECH during a morning or afternoon session as an extension of their local high school attendance. Full program descriptions, enrollment forms and questions and answers can be found on the SEA-TECH website at www.myseatech.org.