Pierce County teenagers are graduating high school with jobs at Boeing. Here’s how

Brayden Terry came to school prepared Friday.

Terry, a senior at Sumner High School, wore clear protective eyewear, a bright safety jacket and a gray cap with “Boeing” written on it.

He was one of nine students recognized for their plans after graduation during a small-scale signing day Friday, May 5, at Sumner High.

“I’m excited to work at Boeing,” Terry told The News Tribune. “I get to go there with my friends. I get to have connections there.”

All nine students are graduating with job offers from the company.

The positions offered include in-tank mechanic, aircraft structure mechanic and assembler/installer, school district spokesperson Allison Hollingsworth said via email.

The starting pay for the positions is $25.50, $24.50 and $23.50 per hour, respectively. Hollingsworth said the students received the necessary training through the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District’s Core Plus Aerospace program.

The program is a two-year course that provides hands-on learning, giving students the foundation to “fast track” a career with Boeing or any other manufacturing company, Core Plus instructor Trisha Fry said.

Instructors teach the basic skills of manufacturing and engineering such as safety and standard operating procedures, blueprint reading and hydraulics, among other topics.

Sumner High started offering the program during the 2021-22 school year with about 70 students. About 120 students participated in the program this year. It’ll be offered at Bonney Lake High next school year, too, Hollingsworth said.

The program is free and available to all high school students. It costs the school district about $20,000 annually for equipment, tools, and other things. The money comes from grants and from Career & Technical Education (CTE) funds.

The aerospace industry wasn’t immune to the effects of the pandemic. The demand for those types of employees “has been a topic of conversation as of late,” Hollingsworth said.

“We feel it’s important for the public to know that our school district – and other districts in the state – are responding to this demand in K-12 education by preparing our students for needed jobs before they even graduate, setting our youth up for success,” Hollingsworth said.

Terry said he joined the class not knowing what to expect. He enjoyed the program so much that he would be willing to take it again, he said. His favorite part was creating things with his own hands.

Omar Montoya, another senior at Sumner High who signed Friday, said the program is fun. As he spent more time in the program he reached an epiphany, he said.

“This is exactly what I’ve been wanting to do,” Montoya said.

Montoya is appreciative of the company’s benefits and the idea that he’ll be able to “live comfortably,” he said.

“I’m just really excited for this future career,” Montoya said. “It’s definitely going to be worth it. I’m really pumped.”

Other local schools that offer the program include Puyallup High, Rogers High, Emerald Ridge High, Walker High and White River High.