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How Boeing’s eight decade Renton commitment is opening doors to technical careers

Mani Tiggs, vice president, Boeing Production System and Operational Excellence, accepts the 2026 Corporate Generosity Spotlight award on behalf of Boeing at the Renton Technical College Foundation Student Success Celebration, March 7, 2026, recognizing the company’s multi decade investments that expand student pathways into advanced manufacturing and transportation technology and connect graduates with regional employers. Mani Tiggs, vice president, Boeing Production System and Operational Excellence, accepts the 2026 Corporate Generosity Spotlight award on behalf of Boeing at the Renton Technical College Foundation Student Success Celebration, March 7, 2026, recognizing the company’s multi decade investments that expand student pathways into advanced manufacturing and transportation technology and connect graduates with regional employers.

Boeing reaffirmed its commitment to helping Renton students enter thriving career paths on March 7 at the Renton Technical College Foundation Student Success Celebration, when the Foundation presented the company with its 2026 Corporate Generosity Spotlight award recognizing an eight‑decade relationship that continues to expand access to career training, hands‑on learning and employer pathways for Renton students.

Voice of the partner: “Boeing’s partnership with RTC represents more than an employer‑educator connection,” Lori Inman, Renton Technical College Foundation president, said during the program. “It is a tangible example of how public institutions and private employers can work together to expand economic mobility, support local families, and maintain the state’s leadership in aerospace innovation.”

Why it matters: Strengthening local technical education builds a skilled pipeline for aerospace and advanced manufacturing, supports long‑term economic stability in the region and helps students access living‑wage careers.

Renton Promise: The company’s December 2025 gift of $250,000 to the Renton Promise program is the latest milestone of the Boeing-RTC partnership. Boeing is the first private‑sector partner and largest contributor to the Renton Promise, which offers up to full tuition coverage for Renton School District graduates who enroll at Renton Technical College and pairs financial aid with advising and other wraparound services to help students succeed.

The Boeing Company awarded a $250,000 grant to the Renton Technical College Foundation to support Renton Promise; representatives pose with the grant check (the gift was announced in December 2025 and was not presented at the Student Success Celebration). The funding is the program’s largest private sector contribution and helps cover tuition and wraparound services for Renton School District graduates. The Boeing Company awarded a $250,000 grant to the Renton Technical College Foundation to support Renton Promise; representatives pose with the grant check (the gift was announced in December 2025 and was not presented at the Student Success Celebration). The funding is the program’s largest private sector contribution and helps cover tuition and wraparound services for Renton School District graduates.

Tomorrow’s workforce: Boeing funds scholarships, program resources and partnerships that link classroom instruction to employer needs and local hiring initiatives. These investments aim to reduce financial barriers, expand credentialed pathways in advanced manufacturing and transportation technology, and connect graduates to employers across the region.

Voice of the company: “When we invest in students, we invest in long term economic stability and innovation,” said Mani Tiggs, vice president, Boeing Production System and Operational Excellence, Boeing Company. “Most importantly, it puts education and career training within reach for more students here in Renton and beyond.”

The impact: Over the past 20 years Boeing’s contributions to Renton Technical College total nearly $800,000 in direct funding and employee matching funds. The company also supports employees pursuing credentials through the Learning Together tuition assistance program (Boeing paid nearly $38,000 to Renton Technical College in 2024). This enduring collaboration aims to keep talent development local, equitable and responsive to the evolving needs of advanced manufacturing.