Fueling the school’s expansion is a $315,000 grant from the state of Washington designed to increase enrollment in aerospace education and to focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). The grant is part of an $8 million, statewide program to help two-year and technical colleges prepare future employees in the aerospace field.
According to the college, the new Bingen location will be ready to offer classes this fall. The facility will include a computer lab and classroom space for classes in Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD).
“We have a strong history in the STEM field, so focusing in on CADD is a key skill set that, particularly out in the Gorge, employers have told us they need,” said Chato Hazelbaker, Clark College’s chief communications officer.
The college is also moving its Transitional Studies (basic education and GED preparation) programs and other academic offerings previously provided at Wind River to the new Bingen facility.
Additionally, Clark College Corporate and Continuing Education will use the new facility to continue and expand its specialized training for local employers.
“Our whole effort in the Gorge is based on talking to the businesses in that area and finding out what they need,” said Hazelbaker. “There’s an impressive group of companies out there. You have companies like Insitu and Google that want to create educational resources in the Gorge so that their workers can get the training they need to be effective.”
A full list of courses and activities in the Columbia River Gorge will be available on the Clark College website later this summer.