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Jan. 07, 2008
UW and Boeing partner on composites education, develop new corporate training model
At the graduation ceremony for the UW-Boeing Certificate Programs in Composite Materials and Modern Aircraft Structures held in November 2007, Boeing officials once again noted the competitive value of the program to the future of the 787 Dreamliner and development of other next generation aircraft.
For one program in particular, Aircraft Composite Structural Analysis and Design, a study by Boeing Learning, Training, and Development calculated Boeing's return on investment at 553 percent.
Boeing officials also hailed the program as a new corporate training model: collaboration between industry and academia to develop university-level programs built around a defined business strategy, linked to critical business competencies, tailored to blend academic fundamentals and practical applications.
Meeting education needs of the Boeing 787 program
A successful new corporate training model emerges
Boeing recognizes training program's success at graduation ceremony
About UW-Boeing Composite Materials and Modern Aircraft Structures Certificate Programs
About University of Washington Educational Outreach (UWEO)
Meeting education needs of the Boeing 787 program
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the world's first commercial aircraft constructed largely of composite materials to enhance performance and save weight (thus increasing fuel efficiency). The transition from metal to composite structures necessitated a change in all Boeing design, technology, and manufacturing processes. To meet this employee training challenge, Boeing considered several academic partners, selecting the UW over universities including MIT and Stanford for its expertise in composite materials.
The UW's commitment to composites research is substantial. It is home to the Center for Excellence in Advanced Materials for Transport Aircraft Structures, funded by the FAA with additional contributions from the UW and private industry led by Boeing.
Each of the three UW-Boeing Certificate Programs consists of 100-110 hours of instruction, plus an estimated 220 additional hours of homework. Taught onsite in classrooms at Boeing facilities by UW faculty, Boeing subject matter experts, and leading professionals from the FAA, courses are tailored to blend theoretical fundamentals with the practical applications critical to Boeing, including hands-on lab and design components.
They are academically rigorous and administered in accordance with UW standards. In some courses, students may apply credits toward a UW graduate degree in engineering. On the UW side of the partnership, the program is administered by UW Educational Outreach, the continuing and professional education division of the university. Like all UWEO programs, it is self-supporting or fee-based rather than supported by public funding.
Since the inception of UW-Boeing Certificate Programs in 2005, 180 Boeing employees have earned certificates. "This is a world-class composites program that doesn't exist anywhere else," said Al Miller, 787 Director of Technology Integration, as quoted in Boeing News Now. "This course is not for the faint-hearted. It's difficult and rewarding. And these skills are vital to the 787 and future programs."
Dr. Kuen Y. Lin, UW Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and director of the Aircraft Composite Structural Analysis and Design Certificate Program, praised Boeing students for their high commitment to the program. "These students show an exceptional level of dedication and commitment," said Lin. A lot of students are already working 50 or 60 hours a week. They took on another 15 hours of study time on top of that."
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A successful new corporate training model emerges
The UW-Boeing Certificate Programs model is remarkable for its depth of collaboration between industry and academia. It was co-developed by the UW Departments of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Mechanical Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering, and the Boeing Learning, Training and Development (LTD) group, with input from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) experts. An advisory board consisting of administrative and technical experts from the three organizations joined to review program objectives and course content.
The partnership depended on careful preliminary planning to deal with cultural and contextual differences, develop standards, and set specific and measurable learning goals. Because the program was built around a defined business need, it was necessary to meet a business test of its worth and impact. Because it is offered under the auspices of a university, it had to be academically sound and fulfill the mission of higher education.
"A key component to the design of these programs has been the collaboration of UW faculty, who have brought theoretical and pedagogical expertise, and Boeing senior engineers, who have contributed their knowledge and experience in applying the fundamentals," said Michael Richey, Boeing Associate Technical Fellow, Learning, Training and Development, Advanced Material & Learning Science. "According to feedback from participants, this combination has been tremendously helpful in the design and manufacturing of aircraft components made from composite materials."
It was his department that calculated Boeing's return on investment at 553 percent for the certificate program in Aircraft Composite Structural Analysis and Design. "The result is a convincing and significant model that can be leveraged across industry and higher education," said Jon Schneider, Director, Boeing LTD-Engineering. "When educational partnerships change the way something is done or created, they create a competitive value."
As an added measure of success, the UW-Boeing Certificate Program in Aircraft Composite Structural Analysis and Design was honored by the 2007 Corporate University Xchange Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Corporate Learning. Presented annually by Corporate University Xchange, a leading research and advisory services organization (see www.corpu.com/default.asp), the award cites a successful corporate partnership with a college or university to address critical business challenges.
Boeing recognizes training program's success at graduation ceremony
The 2007 graduation ceremony for the UW-Boeing Certificate Programs in Composite Materials and Modern Aircraft Structures took place November 8 at an evening reception at the Future of Flight Aviation Center in Everett. A total of 72 Boeing employees received certificates for completing a trio of courses in Aircraft Composite Structural Analysis and Design, Aircraft Composite Materials and Manufacturing, and Modern Aircraft Structures.
Speakers included Mike Denton, Vice President of Engineering, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, who defined the value of the UW-Boeing Partnership, and Randall A. Harley, Vice President of Advanced Technology, 787 Program Technology Integration, who presented Boeing perspectives on composite applications. Larry Ilcewicz, Chief Scientist and Technical Advisor, Composites, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), spoke on future challenges in the use of composites and how advanced education will enable Boeing and its partner companies to overcome them. Darren Edwards, Director of Boeing LTD, and Dave Szatmary, Vice Provost for UW Educational Outreach, also spoke on the successful UW-Boeing partnership and congratulated students on their accomplishments.
About UW-Boeing Composite Materials and Modern Aircraft Structures Certificate Programs
Detailed information about the UW-Boeing certificate programs is available on the UW Engineering Professional Programs website.
About University of Washington Educational Outreach (UWEO)
UWEO is the continuing and professional education division of the University of Washington, the nationally recognized public research institution based in Seattle. Helping the schools, colleges and departments to administer evening master's degrees, certificate programs, distance and online learning, international outreach, English language programs and more, UWEO is one of the largest and most highly regarded continuing and professional education programs in the U.S. (more information at the UWEO Web site.)