Founding AMP SoCal partner, El Camino College, located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, announced plans to collaborate with Red Rocks Community College of Colorado to create a Space, Cyber & Supply Talent Development Center. The Development Center will strengthen the aerospace communities in both states by offering courses tailored to the needs of aerospace employers, workforce training opportunities, as well as apprenticeship pathways to ensure students are ready for industry-level responsibilities upon graduation.
El Camino College and Red Rocks Community College make for a perfect partnership, as both institutions are located within aerospace clusters. Southern California is home to aerospace heavyweights such as Northrop Grumman and SpaceX, as well as the Los Angeles Air Force Base, which houses the headquarters of the US Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center. In addition to boasting a high concentration of private aerospace companies, the state of Colorado is home to the US Air Force Academy and Peterson Air Force Base, the provisional headquarters for US Space Force.
Furthermore, both colleges have a played a key role in supplying highly-skilled aerospace workforce. A leader in the California Apprenticeship Initiative, El Camino College has trained over 6600 students for high-paying positions through its aerospace technician apprenticeship program; on the other hand, Red Rocks Community College is known for offering Colorado’s first cybersecurity apprenticeship program in partnership with Northrop Grumman.
The aerospace sector has been expanding rapidly, and employers continue to hire even during the pandemic. The sector is expected to continue its expansion as we progress deeper into the new age of space. By leveraging both colleges’ locational advantage and educational expertise, the newly announced collaboration is a timely and strategically prudent response to the anticipated growth in aerospace.
Slated to welcome its first class of students in fall 2021, the new Development Center will serve as a consolidated destination for talent training and recruitment, benefiting the aerospace industry for years to come. Learn more about the new collaboration here!