RUTLAND, VT– Today, Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined students and educators at Stafford Technical Center, Rutland Mayor Mike Doenges, GE Aerospace and GE Aerospace Foundation in Rutland to celebrate Vermont’s strong Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs—and celebrate GE Aerospace Foundation’s announcement of a new $200,000 grant to Stafford to support its workforce training programs.
This funding, provided as part of a larger $2.3 million donation by GE Aerospace and the GE Aerospace Foundation to similar organizations in the U.S. and globally, will help Stafford Technical Center purchase two advanced machines used in manufacturing: the Pick & Place machine, which helps maintain accuracy in repetitive tasks; and a Coordinate Measuring Machine, which is used to check the dimensions of assemblies and parts ensuring they meet the design intent. Around 100 students will train on these new advanced machines every year.
“Students need the hands-on skills training that Stafford Technical Center provides to be competitive in today’s job market. Stafford’s programs set Vermont students apart from the rest, and should be a model for other communities as we look to educate workers in critical industries like manufacturing and engineering,” said Senator Welch, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee. “This donation from the GE Aerospace Foundation will prepare students for good-paying manufacturing jobs here in Vermont by giving them the skills they need before they enter the workforce, and it also continues GE’s commitment to Rutland and Vermont’s economic success. These partnerships and investments in our communities are incredibly valuable and will support the education and skills for hundreds of students, wherever life takes them, for years to come.”
“We are making this donation because skills are the number one factor in worker success and retention in manufacturing. No matter where they work, the entire manufacturing industry will benefit from these students learning on the latest machinery,” said GE Aerospace Rutland Site Leader Dan Shelley. “GE Aerospace and its Foundation will continue to invest in the workforce so they can build the future of flight, just as we have for more than 50 years in Rutland.”
The Stafford Technical Center opened in 1973 and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. The school offers programs to high-school aged students, as well as adult leaders looking to build on current skills or re-skill. Today, the school offers students 14 programs, including: construction technology; automative technology; welding and metal fabrication; engineering; electrical and plumbing; auto body repair; education and human services; natural resources and forestry; public safety and criminal justice; video communications; digital arts; cosmetology; culinary arts; health careers.
Earlier this year, GE Aerospace announced plans to invest nearly $25 million in its Rutland facility.
View photos from the event below:
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