Everett Community College Expanding Manufacturing Tech Training Facility

It opened only a year ago in the back of the former Jafco store at 909 north Broadway and today it’s set for a major expansion. Here’s more great news for people wanting a career in manufacturing without leaving Everett.

Everett Community College is celebrating National Manufacturing Day today by announcing a $2.5 million expansion of the college’s Advanced Manufacturing Training & Education Center (AMTEC).

The expansion will add 17,000 square feet to AMTEC, which is home to the college’s precision machining, welding and fabrication, engineering technician, composites and pre-employment programs. The new space includes eight classrooms and a lab for EvCC’s new mechatronics technician program. Construction will start in April 2016.

“As we celebrate the end of AMTEC’s first year, Everett Community College is taking the next step to meet the demand for skilled employees,” EvCC President David Beyer said.

EvCC’s role in supporting statewide efforts to assure that Washington state has a well prepared and skilled manufacturing workforce was noted in Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s proclamation in support of Oct. 2 as National Manufacturing Day.

AMTEC, which opened in October 2014, is located in a former warehouse at 909 N. Broadway. The expansion will increase space in the front third of the building, currently occupied by the business office of Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.

Since opening, the center has trained 1,056 students for high-demand jobs in manufacturing and aerospace. Enrollment in AMTEC programs increased 15 percent during the center’s first year.

The AMTEC expansion is scheduled to be open for classes in Fall 2016, which is also when the first mechatronics technician classes will be offered. Mechatronics technicians install, maintain and repair industrial equipment. EvCC’s program will train technicians in robotics, electrical, mechanical, programming, welding, hydraulics, programmable logic controls (PLC) and fabrication.

“This expansion will create some very exciting education opportunities for our students in mechatronics and other high-demand areas,” said John Bonner, EvCC Vice President of Corporate and Workforce Training.

EvCC’s Board of Trustees on Sept. 15 unanimously approved funding for the expansion.

AMTEC serves more than 200 manufacturing industry employers in Snohomish County. All programs are short, stackable (individual credentials from different content areas that connect to each other) and lead to a professional certificate or college degree.

The center teaches students about the manufacturing process from start to finish. Classes include key workplace skills such as using teamwork in diverse groups, applying knowledge to real-world settings, developing critical thinking related to advanced manufacturing technology and communicating from global perspectives.

Visit www.everettcc.edu/AMTEC to learn more about the center.