Renton Technical College has been awarded a $996,276 grant from the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF ATE) program to expand innovative educational pathways that help students earn credentials more quickly and enter high-demand advanced manufacturing careers.

The Prior Learning Assessment and Competency-based Education (PLACE) Project will address the demand for skilled technician-level and credentialed machinists, mechatronics technicians, and welders. It will develop new approaches that recognize students' existing knowledge and skills while maintaining the rigorous standards employers expect.

The three-year PLACE Project will use accelerated strategies so students can complete their education faster and move into technician employment. The grant runs from Aug. 1, 2026, through July 31, 2029.

Led by Principal Investigator Elizabeth Flanagan (pictured left), along with Co-Principal Alma Meza (College and Career Pathways) and Mechatronics Instructor Jeremy Thorn (pictured right), the PLACE Project will:

• Explore and adopt standards for prior-learning assessment, including foreign and domestic transcript review, portfolios, and competency-based skills assessment, to ensure students with prior learning and incumbent workers can upskill quickly without repeating content they already know.
• Revise curriculum to focus on competency-based education outcomes that allow for piloting Open Entry/Open Exit courses that allow students to progress at their own pace.
• Provide work-based learning opportunities for students that will count toward their certificate/degree completion and provide experiential education.

"RTC is an exceptional place to engage in this work because our faculty include recognized experts whose work has helped shape and continues to shape competency-based education in Washington state," Flanagan said.

She noted that Co-PI Alma Meza (pictured below) is among the state's leaders in competency-based education and said the project will bring together expertise from across the college.

"We hope to have the opportunity to engage the expertise of other competency-based education leaders within our High School+ program, as well as faculty across our professional-technical programs," Flanagan said. "Together, this collaboration will help us strengthen educational pathways that prepare highly skilled technicians to meet regional workforce needs."

The project emphasizes prior learning assessment and competency-based education as strategies to improve equity and access for students, particularly working adults and incumbent workers who already possess valuable knowledge and experience. By recognizing prior learning and allowing students to demonstrate mastery of required competencies, the project aims to shorten the time it takes to earn industry credentials without sacrificing academic or technical rigor.

The PLACE Project also supports Renton Technical College's Strategic Equity Plan goal to be the place to transform the workforce of the future.

"By creating more flexible educational pathways and strengthening partnerships between education and industry, this project will increase access and equity to RTC students to enter high-wage careers," President Yoshiko Harden said. "It will help address Washington's growing need for highly skilled aerospace and advanced manufacturing technicians."