Mason County Daily News – Today, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) will join Air Washington in unveiling details of a new program to train 2,600 more workers with the skills needed by Washington state aerospace employers. Cantwell and Murray will formally announce a $20 million Department of Labor grant for Air Washington’s new training programs, which will help make the state a national commercial aviation training hub.
Air Washington is a consortium of Washington’s aerospace education and training organizations, made up of 14 community and technical colleges across Washington and several aerospace training organizations, to meet the needs of Washington’s 650 aerospace employers. Cantwell and Murray will tour one such training facility – the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee’s (AJAC) Advanced Inspection and Manufacturing Mobile Training Unit (AIM-MTU) – at South Seattle Community College in West Seattle.
The consortium also coordinates a new program that provides training to meet Washington state’s growing aerospace workforce demands in advanced manufacturing/machining, aircraft assembly, aircraft maintenance, composites, and electronics. Air Washington seeks to recruit and train more women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups for aerospace jobs.
As one of the most beautiful states in the union–and one of the richest in natural resources–Washington has a special interest in energy and environmental policy. And Maria has fought hard to uphold the state’s conservation tradition, while also working to bring our energy policy into the 21st century.
Maria knows Washington’s business community – because, as an executive at an innovative software company, she was part of it. And as a Senator, she’s led the way in helping businesses large and small throughout Washington grow, thrive, and create jobs.
Maria has taken a leadership role on safety and security issues, including defending our borders, strengthening our military, cracking down on gangs, and taking on drug crime in Washington communities
Middle-class families around Washington and across the country are facing tough times–and tough decisions about balancing the family checkbook each month. Maria has fought to strengthen the economic security of Washington families and cut taxes for middle-class families.
