Professional Development Courses

AMTAS has access to a wide range of continuing education resources that have made impressive contributions to the large-transport commercial aviation industry. The University of Washington and all the initial affiliate members of AMTAS have exceptionally deep ties to Boeing and many of its suppliers in the Northwest.

As the Center progresses, we will develop and deliver online courses for practicing professionals. In this effort, the Center will access resources through the following institutions:

University of Washington

Through the Education at a Distance for Growth and Excellence (EDGE) program, the University has been providing distance-delivered engineering education to the Boeing workplace since 1983. The UW has awarded approximately 400 master’s degrees through EDGE since its inception, and Boeing has employed a majority of the graduates. In recent years, EDGE has added three non-degree programs at the suggestion of the commercial aircraft industry and has received a total of $175,000 in gifts from Boeing to expand its set of online courses. EDGE will serve as the UW focal for continuing education in AMTAS.

UW Engineering Professional Programs (EPP) offers 150 educational programs, symposia, and research conferences each year. For more than a decade EPP has supported FAA training and educational needs. EPP has managed the annual Northwest Mountain Region Airports Conference since 1993, provided intensive training in system safety and reliability analysis to the Transport Airplane Directorate in 1995, and supported training in composites quality assurance for Aviation Safety Inspectors offered under the auspices of the UW Polymeric Composites Laboratory in 2002 and 2003.

Edmonds Community College

Edmonds Community College (EdCC) has established strong partnerships locally, statewide, and nationally through grant-funded initiatives that will be advantageous in the dissemination process and will enhance training activities. Continuing education represents approximately 30% of its overall enrollment. EdCC’s role in AMTAS will be to deliver materials and product lifecycle management (PLM) courses to the technician audience.

EdCC’s Materials & Process Center (MPDC), formerly known as the Center for Excellence on Materials Technology in Manufacturing will tremendously affect the educational experience of materials technicians in manufacturing environments. Funded by the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the center is a joint venture of Edmonds Community College, Everett Community College, the Snohomish County Economic Development Council, and various sectors of the Government. The center will serve as a model of best practices in materials science technology throughout the Northwest and will encourage increased communication and planning between key industries and educational institutions.

Specifically, the center will:

Enhance the mutual understanding of training needs for growth and productivity.
Help assess and solve skill-related problems.
Attract new businesses to the region.
Provide a model of excellence in identifying and delivering curriculum related to skill standards.
Develop a clearinghouse of best practices.
Establish a network of expertise and referral.
Assist businesses in accessing the resources and tools needed to become established and prosper.