“Anyone can have a job. But, when you leave here, you can have a career.”
That’s according to Kareen Morales Vincent, an aerospace manufacturing instructor at Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center in Everett. Kareen is one of the many teachers using Core Plus Aerospace to help Washington high school students gain science, math, and English skills that prepare them for jobs, apprenticeships, and college.
Developed and supported by Boeing, Core Plus Aerospace is a two-year high school manufacturing curriculum that gives students real-world skills through hands-on learning. The curriculum starts with skills common to all manufacturing, such as precision measurement and materials science, and progresses into aerospace-specific skills, such as fiber optics and advanced composites.
Students report liking the classes because they learn by doing (not just lecture) and gain skills that lead to more options after graduation.
“With the Core Plus classes, it’s not just going in and working with metal. They also open you up to a lot of opportunities, such as the apprenticeship program, which I wouldn’t have known about if I hadn’t taken this class,” said Jackson Wolf, a Core Plus Aerospace student at Shadle Park High School in Spokane.
The classes also give students flexibility on the path to graduation. Depending on their school district, students can use Core Plus Aerospace to satisfy credit requirements in CTE, math, science, and English.
A new web site at coreplusaerospace.org and additional resources are available to help parents learn more about the curriculum and the opportunities it opens for kids after graduation. Resources are available in multiple languages.
If you have questions about what’s available in your district or want to bring Core Plus Aerospace to your school, reach out to Boeing’s workforce development team at WorkDev@exchange.boeing.com or OSPI’s Career & Technical Education team at careerandcollegeready@k12.wa.us.
Post provided by: Michelle Burreson, Senior Manager for Workforce Development, The Boeing Company