New fuselage training lab increases hands-on learning opportunities at Paine Field

Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin, AMSC Executive Director Larry Cluphf, Boeing Director of Manufacturing and Safety Cameron Myers, Edmonds College President Dr. Amit B. Singh, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, July 2 celebrating the opening of a new fuselage training lab at Paine Field. (Arutyun Sargsyan / Edmonds College)

Surrounded by business and government dignitaries, President Dr. Amit B. Singh cut the ribbon on Tuesday, July 2, signifying the opening of Edmonds College’s new “Innovation Lab” at the Advanced Manufacturing Skills Center (AMSC) at Paine Field. 

The cutting-edge aerospace training lab is the only one of its kind at an American college. It will provide students with real-world work experience while helping them master their chosen specialty. 

“This is a great example of what happens when a college, community, industry, and government come together,” said Dr. Singh. “Magic happens, and that's what's been happening in this facility for a long time.”

Boeing donated the 63-foot-long fuselage section, nicknamed the “Gray Ghost,” in June 2023. Since it arrived at the AMSC, it has been retrofitted and fully enclosed and is ready to help the AMSC remain a leading training center for students. 

“We have over 4,300 students that have gone through this program,” said AMSC Executive Director Larry Cluphf. “Ninety percent of those students we were able to track work in the manufacturing industry, and of those, 86% work for the aerospace sector.”

The AMSC’s Aerospace Certificate Program at the Washington Aerospace Training & Research (WATR) Center focuses on providing expedited, 12-week training to students who select one of five specialties (Assembly Mechanic, Tooling Mechanic, Manufacturing Composites, Electrical Assembly, and Quality Assurance) essential to the manufacturing workforce. 

“The new lab represents a bold commitment to developing and growing a highly skilled aerospace workforce here in northwest Washington,” added U.S. Rep Larsen (WA-02). “Now students can get the best knowledge and hands-on training they need to build the safest and best airplanes in the world. We need to invest in this skillset to maintain our leadership in the soon-to-be aerospace capital of the world because it certainly is one of the best-trained women and men in the aerospace workforce.”

The AMSC is dedicated to providing the community with short-term, high-impact manufacturing training. By doing so, they are helping local and regional companies thrive while offering students the opportunity to secure well-paying jobs in a rapidly growing industry, underscoring their significant role in the industry.

“Paine Field is one of the premier aerospace centers in the world, and we need to keep it that way,” said Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. “We hear every day that our employers are having trouble finding skilled employees, and this center and the opportunity it gives everybody who helps those workers be nimble, gives them the training they need to step right into jobs. And it's a magnificent program.”