South’s I.M.A. Honored
South Seattle College announced today that its Industrial Manufacturing Academy was recognized by the National Council for Workforce Education (NCWE) as its Exemplary Program for 2014.
The Industrial Manufacturing Academy, based on South's Georgetown Campus, is a short-term training program primarily for entry-level and reentering professionals wanting to update and expand their skill set in the world of diversified and advanced manufacturing. In partnership with South, the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (AJAC) provides instruction and curriculum development to the Industrial Manufacturing Academy to serve the workforce needs of the Aerospace and Manufacturing sectors.
The award is given based on a scoring matrix that includes categories such as economic impact, results and community collaboration.
"They are doing everything right in Workforce Education," explained Barbara Bang, the Vice President of Communications for the NCWE. "There's a lot of colleges doing innovative things – but we really look for the best. It's a program that clearly has an economic impact with real results and they collaborated. Those are the things that make it the best."
This is the first time a program from South has been recognized with this prestigious award.
"It is truly an honor to be recognized for this distinguished award," South Seattle College President Gary Oertli said. "The success of this program comes from our students – this training leads them to family-living wages jobs and apprenticeships."
South will be presented with the NWCE Exemplary Program award at the NCWE Annual Conference on October 31, 2014 in Pittsburgh, PA.