Renton Technical College this week was awarded a grant of $468,595 from the U.S. Department of Labor’s American Apprenticeship Initiative. The funds will support the purchase of new technology for Heat/Frost, Stationary Engineers, Pacific Maritime Institute, and Machinist programs.
The award is part of a larger $4.8 million grant to fund the Partnership for Advanced Technology Apprenticeships in Manufacturing and Marine Engineering project (PATAM) led by South Seattle College.
The larger grant is the result of a year-long effort by RTC and its partners, to address a critical shortage in skilled apprenticeship programs in Washington state and nationwide.
With the announcement of this award, PATAM announced it will create three new apprenticeship programs including the first in the nation Marine Engineering and expand another 12 established apprenticeship programs in the advanced manufacturing and maritime sectors.
Additionally, PATAM will support at least 1,000 workers, including at least 300 from underrepresented populations.
“This grant is good news for Washington state residents and industry. It allows RTC and our partners, to create infrastructure to significantly scale and sustain apprenticeships into the future by focusing on both ends of the apprenticeship pipeline – improving pathways into apprenticeship, and expanding and improving its employer base,” Heather Winfrey, Executive Dean for Workforce, Trades and Economic Development at Renton Technical College, said in a press release.
-from a press release
