SeaTac Airport Struggles To Fill Key Skilled Trades Positions

Watching Bill Maher on HBO, it's pretty evident how he feels about the job gap in the United States. If you graduate from college with a liberal arts degree, he feels the odds of you finding a decent paying job are not that great. 

In the United States, we have a dramatic need for tradesmen. People that don't necessarily have degrees from college but are trained, experienced tradesmen. Mechanics, electricians, plumbers and more. Think about it, when was the last time you tried to hire an electrician? 

Right now, SeaTac Airport has jobs just waiting and nobody to fill them. Now one organization is stepping up to help fill the gap, South Seattle College. 

According to seattletimes.com,
‘A new program offered by South Seattle College certifies students in maintaining and repairing these machines used on airport tarmacs to help service aircraft, also known as ground support equipment.
Technicians who can repair all of this machinery “below the wing” are in high demand locally, including at Sea-Tac, said Ferdinand Orbino, dean of skilled trades at SSC.’ 

There is all manner of machinery at SeaTac Airport that require constant maintenance. These are not jobs for unskilled labor. Baggage loading systems, tankers moving aviation fuel, vehicles that move baggage from the plane to the terminal, any number of machines that are used on the tarmac, “under the wing” of the airplane for ground support. 

South Seattle College has a curriculum designed to create qualified applicants for these types of jobs. This is also the first publicly offered training program for these types of jobs in the United States. 

The skills are varied and require expertise in diesel engines, diagnosing electrical circuits, and industrial mechanical maintenance. 

It's technical knowledge, but it's also practical knowledge taught in a practical way with hands-on experience in multiple disciplines. 

At the end of the fall quarter, they're hoping to graduate their first nine students in this program.
South Seattle College program could help Sea-Tac fill workforce gap | The Seattle Times