By Tia Rivera

Moyaak Chuol noticed a new opportunity called Core Plus Aerospace while registering for classes his junior year of high school. He was immediately interested because he thought the new class focused on space. When he learned from a friend that it centered on hands-on learning, he was still excited to sign up. He didn’t know it at the time, but the opportunity would change the trajectory of his career.

Core Plus Aerospace is a program offered to high school juniors and seniors.  Its two year curriculum was developed by Boeing and focuses on general manufacturing in its first year and allows participants to specialize the next year. Students learn foundational manufacturing skills, such as blueprint reading, machining, precision measurement, and shop safety. The program takes place at high schools and skills centers across Washington State.

This summer, Boeing is hosting approximately 80 Core Plus Aerospace students as summer interns in its Everett and Renton factories. Through group activities, job shadowing, manufacturing training, and skills development, interns can prepare for college, the military or entry-level manufacturing jobs. As the need for skilled labor continues to grow, programs like Core Plus Aerospace give students the tools and experience they need to succeed right away in the workforce.

The importance of career readiness can’t be understated. According to a new study conducted by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, the manufacturing skills gap in the United States could lead to more than two million unfilled jobs by 2030. The study also found that the amount of unfilled manufacturing positions could result in approximately $1 trillion in lost revenue.

Programs like Core Plus Aerospace help students discover new career paths and provide them training opportunities to make sure they have the skills necessary to fill these critical jobs. Job training isn’t the only aspect of the Core Plus Aerospace program to increase readiness for students. It also opens doors through personal connections. Now a Core Plus graduate, Moyaak Chuol credits the program and his shop teacher, Mr. Creed Nelson, for providing valuable networking opportunities.

“My class had someone new come in almost every week and they would not only help us join their company or college, but they would give us life advice that would help us later on in our careers,” Chuol said. “This program is really great because of all those connections. If a student knows they want to do a hands-on kind of job but has no idea how to build those skills…this program will help with that.”

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) cites that one of the biggest challenges facing manufacturing today is finding the right talent. Compared to data from 2018, manufacturing companies report that it is now 36 percent harder to find workers despite the unemployment rate nearly doubling the supply of potential employees. The problem extends from filling entry-level production positions to finding, hiring, and retaining skilled workers for specific jobs.

Core Plus Aerospace serves as a bridge that connects potential workers with eager employers. Chuol explains, “The key is that [students] are graduating with options and we have the freedom to choose what we want to do next.”

That is welcome news for the manufacturing industry, and specifically for Boeing, which sponsors Core Plus Aerospace and also designed the program curriculum based on the needs within its own workforce. Students who participate in Core Plus Aerospace are trained and evaluated by skilled professionals, many from Boeing. This helps students with networking and career preparation, as well as exposure to potential employers. Chuol is one of several Core Plus Aerospace graduates who earned a full-time position at Boeing after graduation.

“I’ve been with the company for three years now,” Chuol said. “Basically my job is to ensure that a work area is safe to work in. The other part is storage, and here in Moses Lake, we have about 170 airplanes we have to maintain.” 

Core Plus Aerospace is an innovative program that provides students with the training they need to step into in-demand careers and fill critical skills gaps in the U.S. manufacturing sector — a win for both young talent and the aerospace industry.

Tia Rivera is the Manufacturing Workforce Development Manager at Boeing.