Aerospace is an economic powerhouse that generates jobs and fuels our economy. Washington's community and technical colleges produce the world-class employees needed to keep it that way. With about 1,250 aerospace-related firms employing more than 94,000 workers, Washington has the largest concentration of aerospace expertise in the nation. To stay competitive, these companies need mechanics, machinists, programmers, assemblers and other employees trained at community and technical colleges. Twenty four of Washington's 34 community and technical colleges offer training demanded by the state's aerospace-related firms, moving well-trained workers into well-paying jobs. Air Washington is a consortium of 11 community and technical colleges and one apprenticeship training program partnering to train the next generation of aerospace workers (see "apprenticeships"). The consortium focuses on five programs of study: (1) Advanced manufacturing; (2) Aircraft assembly; (3) Airframe & powerplant; (4) Composite materials; and (5) Avionics/electronics. Air Washington is funded by a $20 million federal Department of Labor grant. The original goal was to train 2,615 workers by fall 2014. That goal has already been exceeded with colleges training 3,155 new workers as of December 2013. Composites are crucial to the aerospace and marine industries and other key economic sectors, including energy, automotive and mass transit. An alliance of community and technical colleges called "Composites Washington" is creating a talent pool of technicians for the more than 100 Washington companies engaged in composites manufacturing, fabrication, repair and advanced materials research and development. The group is is led by two Washington State Centers of Excellence: Aerospace and Advanced Materials Manufacturing at Everett Community College, and Marine Manufacturing and Technology at Skagit Valley College. In 2013, college instructors were trained and certified to teach the latest composites technology. Training was provided by Abaris, the company contracted to train Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety inspectors in advanced composite maintenance and repair. A 2008-2013 review of five aerospace-related programs found a 1,293 percent increase in plastics engineering technical programs, which focus mainly on composite technology. Other courses discussed in this document include: (1) FAA Certified Courses; (2) Apprenticeships; (3) Strategic Coordinated training through the Center of Excellence/Everett Community College, Washington Aerospace Training Center (WATR)/ Edmonds Community College, and Aerospace Pipeline Committee: Created by the Legislature in 2012. Additional Sources are provided.