ST. LOUIS, Mo. — When Boeing executives gathered with military brass, political leaders and others earlier this month to unveil the first T-7A Red Hawk trainer jet to be delivered to the Air Force as part of a $9 billion contract, there were Hollywood-style videos, VIPs and a dramatic introduction of the jet itself.
But there was something else.
Company executives told the audience more than once that they were looking to grow their ranks and to find the people who would help the company build what would come next.
Since 2007, Boeing and St. Louis Community College have partnered on a program that can take people from a few weeks of training at the school’s Florissant Valley campus to a guaranteed interview for a job on the company’s assembly line.
Friday, there was a more toned-down celebration marking the fact that 1,000 people had matriculated through the program.
Karey Wagman, who became a single mother of two in February 2006 and then was left unemployed when Ford closed her plant after 13 years on the job at the age of 31, is one of those people. She knew then she wanted to end up at Boeing but wondered to herself, “How do I get that skill to get in that door?”
Eventually, she ended up as one of 12 people selected from roughly 4,000 applicants for Boeing’s Pre-Employment Training program covering sheet metal assembly. Another program covers work as a composite mechanic. In each, the participants, who can be as young as a senior in high school and don’t need to be enrolled in St. Louis Community College, learn the “Boeing way” as it relates to work on the 777X, the F-15 Eagle, the F-18 and soon the T-7A Red Hawk trainer. In three to five weeks, those who complete the program get a guaranteed interview with Boeing for an open position. The company covers all training costs.
Wagman was one of 10 graduates in her class and was hired in 2008.
“This partnership certainly has a strong, long lasting positive impact on the community where our employees work, have families, have lives and are contributing to what we do locally,” said Paisley Matthews, vice president of operations, Boeing Defense, Space and Security. “It’s not just a job. It’s a career.”
The public can expect programs like this one to pick up in the future at St. Louis Community College after voters last year approved an $0.08 tax levy increase to fund further workforce development training.
“These are direct pathways into high-paying jobs that offer great benefits to anyone that goes through it. You’re probably going to see us doing a lot more of these, aligning directly with employers in the future. There’s other opportunities in manufacturing and other sectors to have this kind of alignment and Boeing has shown a lot of wisdom obviously in planning and working, investing in this program over the years,” St. Louis Community College Chancellor Jeff Pittman said.
“I see more direct alignment with employers in the future, programs like we have with Boeing, but also through paid internship experiences and apprenticeship experiences for individuals that want to get into a job quickly,” he said.
