SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
HUNTSVILLE — Drake State Community and Technical College is connecting local residents to paid careers in space manufacturing through a partnership with Blue Origin, combining classroom learning with hands-on industry training.
The Advanced Training & Learning Academy for Space, known as ATLAS, launched in Alabama in October with 10 machinist apprentices. Participants receive full-time salaries and benefits from their first day of employment while developing skills needed to manufacture spaceflight hardware, according to Drake State’s November 2 announcement.
“Partnerships like this connect education directly to opportunity,” said Dr. Patricia Sims, president of Drake State Community and Technical College.
“By working with Blue Origin, we are creating pathways to careers that offer economic mobility, while helping employers develop the skilled workforce they need.”
Apprentices divide their time between instruction at Drake State and supervised production work at Blue Origin’s manufacturing facilities. The curriculum covers precision measurement, advanced computer numerical control programming, quality systems and specialized materials used in space manufacturing.
The registered apprenticeship does not require a four-year degree. Instead, participants advance by demonstrating mastery of technical skills. Successful graduates earn nationally recognized journey worker certifications and gain pathways for continued employment and advancement with Blue Origin.
“For Drake State, the partnership builds on the College’s work with industry to align technical education with changing workforce requirements,” Sims said.
Developed with Apprenti, a national apprenticeship intermediary, ATLAS also establishes training standards that other employers can use to build similar programs.
Blue Origin plans to expand ATLAS to Florida in early 2027, followed by Washington and other manufacturing locations. Its goal is to prepare more than 200 journey-level technicians annually by 2030.
For Huntsville, the partnership links workforce development with access to specialized careers in the region’s aerospace economy.