We must constantly invest to ensure our people are trained in these skills, and I am pleased to allocate $1.5 million of my discretionary Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funding to aerospace training in Washington. This investment, like any investment of the public's money, must be invested as efficiently as possible, with a keen eye toward outcomes.

With this in mind, and acting on recommendations developed by the Washington Council on Aerospace's training committee, I direct these funds to the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, to be invested in a manner that results in aerospace training and education as laid out below, pursuant to all applicable WIA rules and/or guidelines:

$600,000 to developing industry-driven training centers at Paine Field in Everett and at Spokane International Airport. Providing customized training for our aerospace workers to keep them skilled in the latest techniques, research findings, materials and processes is vital to continuing our world leadership in aerospace, and two new centers are working to provide this essential service. The centers are directed to: develop curriculum for training programs, cover other one-time start-up costs, and share resources and curriculum developed with these funds in order to maximize our investment.

These funds should achieve the following outcomes:

•	Establish collaboration agreement between Spokane and Paine Field centers.
•	Determine, by collaborating with industry, missing training resources and skill sets.
•	Identify, by collaborating with educational partners, available resources to develop new curriculum.
•	Develop training curriculum and course evaluation processes for a minimum of 20 courses.
•	Develop a distance learning platform.
•	Develop performance accountability matrices.
•	Develop a working agreement including a referral and liaison process with community colleges.

$500,000 for new equipment in our colleges. Our training programs must have access to the latest equipment to effectively train our students in the latest techniques in this constantly evolving industry. We will invest in new equipment to ensure we are making progress in this area. These funds are to be used for replacing old equipment to ensure students are using state-of-the art machinery and tools. SBCTC is directed to provide a preliminary report on equipment purchased with these funds by March 31, 2010.

SBCTC is directed to select equipment through a competitive process, and provide to me a preliminary report of equipment approved through the proposal process by January 31, 2010.

The funds should achieve the following outcomes:

•	Replacing aging equipment that is no longer functioning or no longer in use in the industry.
•	Match an industry need or meet a requirement for FAA-approved programs, with a focus on equipment that will fill gaps in the training sequence.
•	Building additional capacity by increasing slots for students.

$200,000 to K-12 programs that building enthusiasm and interest in aerospace among students, and inform them of the academic requirements needed to enter this field. SBCTC is directed to work with Washington Aerospace Scholars program, through the Museum of Flight, under Dr. Bonnie Dunbar.

These funds should achieve the following outcomes:

•	Expansion of interest in and preparation for Aerospace among K-12 students, with a goal of 250 students participating in distance learning through Washington Aerospace Scholars and over 150 participating in summer residency programs at the Museum of Flight.
•	Increased collaboration between Washington Aerospace Scholars and the SBCTC.

$100,000 to align curriculum throughout the state. The Center for Excellence is directed to work with colleges offering similar programs to align criteria in our aerospace offerings.

These funds should achieve the following outcomes:

•	34 community and technical colleges using cutting-edge, standardized curriculum that is updated and deployed regularly as industry needs change.
•	Reduced curriculum development costs in the future.
•	Responsive and effective state-wide training rather than effective training in pockets of the state.
•	One-stop coordination of training for employers needing specialized instruction anywhere in the state.
•	All aerospace curriculum development updates and modifications at the colleges and the new aerospace centers will be reported.

$100,000 to facilitate the transfer of research findings into training curricula. Working with the Washington Technology Center, SBCTC is directed to develop protocols around research transfer.

These funds should achieve the following outcomes:

•	Map the process of curriculum development in our colleges, and identify appropriate initial research projects.
•	Identify the research to migrate.
•	Agree where it fits in existing curriculum.
•	Identify how to migrate it most effectively, efficiently and speedily into curriculum
•	Implement the migration.
•	Learn the lessons from the migration.
•	Evaluate the impact.
•	Finalize and recommend protocols.

The SBCTC may, in consultation with my staff, modify specific expenditures of the WIA funds as described in this memo if it results in a more effective means of using these or other funds and still ensures that the investments outline in the memo are implemented.

Please submit to me a detailed workplan by January 15, 2010; an interim progress report by March 31, 2010; and a final report on outcomes these funds have achieved by October 1, 2010.

Christine O. Gregoire

Governor

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