Building Towards the Future: Aeronautical Training Center at Trident Technical College

B U I L D I N G TOWARDS THE FUTURE Aeronautical Training Center at Trident Technical College

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ccording to the South Carolina Department of Commerce, in 2019 the aerospace industry employed over 22,000 South Carolinians at 400 firms, with a statewide impact of $19 billion a year. Much of that activity has been driven by Boeing, which located its 1.2 million SF 787 Dreamliner final assembly and delivery facility in North Charleston in 2009. The industry created 5,200 new jobs in the region between 2011 and 2018, creating positive ripple effects throughout the regional economy; for every aeronautics job, three additional jobs are created in supporting industries.

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The industry is fueling the need for a skilled advanced manufacturing workforce with targeted training in aeronautics. Recognizing both the need for trained workers and the economic development opportunities inherent in this growth, Trident Technical College (TTC) envisioned a new SC Aeronautical Training Center in North Charleston to help create a pipeline for skilled workers. The new facility is located less than five miles from the Boeing facility, and serves as a direct link between academic and training programs and industry.

In creating the academic programs and developing the criteria for success, TTC wanted the new facility to accommodate highly specialized training programs for a middle skills workforce at the associate’s degree level as well as space for continuing education.

The College wanted the technical equipment and learning spaces on full display, highlighting the leading-edge tools and the complex, hands-on learning taking place in the labs and classrooms.

The sense of transparency is particularly important given the Center’s goal to welcome an array of groups into the space for tours and programs including camps, conferences, vendors, economic development symposia, and members of the public. Inspiration and education will go hand-in-hand as people move through the building, including 5,370 TTC students and 120 faculty members per year in addition to community members, visitors, and guests.

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FLOOR PLANS

first floor

second floor

third floor

The 160,950 SF building has three floors of academic and training space. A two-part form with a linear bar holds high-bay hangar space alongside the lab and classroom wing, which are connected to a distinctive entry volume. The entry volume features a graceful swooping curve; vertical planes slide past each other to enliven the façade.

The exterior materials palette plays with solidity and transparency with generous glazing and strategic sun shading. The design prioritizes framed views in and out of educational spaces, while massive columns subtly reference aviation.

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Inside, the program is zoned into first-floor academic and hands-on training, secondfloor continuing education and conference space, and third-floor dedicated space for Boeing and Ready SC training programs.

The first floor, which includes a ramp and two massive high-bay hangars, provides hands-on training space for avionics maintenance, aircraft assembly, mechatronics, and automation engineering.

Students pursuing the airframe and power plant license from the FAA train here as well.

The hangar training area includes a full-scale barrel section from a Boeing 787, donated by the company for use by aeronautics students.

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The second floor houses 25 specialty labs and six flex-space labs for continuing education. Programs include highly technical skills training for metrology, CNC machining, aeronautics, additive manufacturing, nondestructive inspection and testing, and other specialized training and equipment for mechatronics and assembly line production. In these programs, industry workers can train in evolving technologies or develop the next level of skills for career advancement. The floor also includes an auditorium, prefunction space, and a café which enliven the building and provide welcoming areas for students to gather, rest, and recharge between classes.

The third floor is entirely dedicated to Boeing and Ready SC training programs, providing a place to train and re-certify aircraft maintenance employees while building relationships with industry partners. The third floor also features academic space, an auditorium, and gathering space.

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“ A V I AT I O N We need to spark an interest in

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early, and then support that interest by providing a path to training [...] So you’re not just building a structure, you’re building a

FUTURE Dr. Mary Thornley, President Trident Technical College

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The SC Aeronautical Training Center will be foundational to continued growth, both for the SC aeronautical cluster and for the region’s economy. Job prospects across the region remain strong in the long term; production and mechanical positions top the list of potential opportunities. TTC, with funding support from Charleston County, the City of North Charleston, the Economic Development Administration, private donors, and the state legislature, is prepared to help employers fill this position by creating a pipeline of workers with targeted training.

These workers, in turn, will be able to find work quickly in high-demand positions with good incomes- an outcome that benefits the industry, the workers and their families, and the entire region with ongoing opportunities and growth.

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