NASA backs Castle Rock's space training hub
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Arapahoe Community College's Castle Rock-based space institute won't send astronauts to the stars, but it wants graduates building the bolts, soldering the parts and drawing the plans that get them there.
Why it matters: Douglas County will soon help anchor NASA-backed workforce training in Colorado, connecting students statewide with an industry hungry for skilled workers.
Driving the news: NASA last month picked the year-old Colorado Space Institute (CSI) at Castle Rock's Sturm Collaboration Campus as one of seven hubs nationwide tasked with growing the country's technical aerospace workforce.
- The designation brings $1.3 million in federal funding over three years to expand training, hire industry professionals as instructors and build pipelines into aerospace jobs.
- Other hubs include the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Southern Utah University and Space Florida.
The big picture: Castle Rock sits between Denver and Colorado Springs — two major centers for space and defense employment.
- Aerospace and aviation employment in Denver's south metro grew about 18% over the past five years, according to regional economic development data.
Yes, but: The industry in Colorado faces persistent shortages among skilled technical workers.
That leaves CSI ripe to fill the void. The institute is targeting jobs like welding, machining, electromechanics and mechatronics — the hands-on work behind what gets launched into space.
What they're saying: "These technician jobs are not lesser than — they're not lower than — they're [an] essential part of the entire" industry, CSI director Grace Crain-Wright tells Axios.
- She calls the ACC's NASA hub designation "validation, a stamp of approval that what we're doing is legit."
Reality check: CSI remains small.
- Crain-Wright says 10 students have completed its soldering course; about 10 more are scheduled for October and 15 are enrolled in an introductory space science series.
Zoom in: CSI is working with companies — including Douglas County's Safran Defense & Space, Inc. — to connect students with internships and jobs.
- And it's building relationships with Lockheed Martin, ExoTerra Resource, Sodern America and more.
DougCo students also could earn college credits while still in high school, finish their degrees at ACC and move to regional employers.
What's next: ACC is planning what it calls a first-of-its-kind associate of applied science in space science technology in fall 2027, pending state approval.