On March 3, the Auburn City Council endorsed the creation of the Kent Valley Air and Space Manufacturing Roundtable.

The idea is to unite C-Suite leaders and key partners in a common effort to tackle pressing challenges and develop strategies to keep the region’s primary industries competitive and thriving.

C-suite refers to a company’s top management positions where the “C” stands for “chief.” Various chief officers such as the CEO, CIO, and CFO are the occupants of the C-suite.

According to city records, neighboring agencies, among them cities, school districts and educational institutions, are working together to support the establishment of the roundtable to foster like collaboration among industry leaders, educators and public sector representatives “to address workforce development, drive legislative agendas, and promote economic sustainability within the aerospace industry.”

The support of Kent and other agencies emphasizes the importance of partnerships between K-12 education, higher education institutions, and the aerospace sector to align training programs with industry needs. C-suite executives from aerospace employers may participate in the roundtable’s initiatives and commit to to ongoing collaboration.

Green River College and Renton Technical College have said they recognize the value of strong collaboration between aerospace leaders and the alignment of training and programs with industry growth.

The Auburn, Kent, and Renton school districts will be the starting point for student career exploration, contributing to the development of workforce education programs by forging career connections between K-12 education, post-secondary pathways, and the aerospace industry.

The creation of the roundtable provides an efficient platform for industry leaders to collectively address workforce and talent development, drive legislative agendas, and promote economic vitality and sustainability within the aerospace industry.

Participation from industry leaders is essential for success of the Kent Valley Air and Space Manufacturing Roundtable as Kent Valley employers are creating the jobs of the future and their guidance is critical to shaping the aerospace industry’s talent pipeline. Kent Valley employers represented by C-suite executives, were invited to join the Kent Valley Air and Space Manufacturing Roundtable, and participated in the inaugural launch meeting last October 2024.