The newly built Leidos Advanced Training Complex at Drake State Community and Technical College in Huntsville, Alabama, is now open to support education and training for the aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries.
Drake State said Friday that the building was named in recognition of Leidos’ $1.75 million donation to the community college in 2024 for advanced manufacturing and IT programs, student apprenticeships, campus technical and infrastructure upgrades, a new scholarship endowment and faculty development opportunities.
Building a Talent Pipeline
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Leidos CEO Tom Bell, a two-time Wash100 awardee, said the company’s partnership with Drake State “will grow the pipeline of talented people who will solve our nation’s most vexing challenges in smarter and more efficient ways.”
The 50,000-square-foot facility, constructed through a statewide bond issue in 2020 in support of Alabama’s education system, offers precision machining and welding training and other skill development programs. It also features dedicated space for additive manufacturing, mechatronics, electrical technology and engineering design.
A new cohort of students selected to participate in Drake State’s Federation of Advanced Manufacturing Education will use the complex throughout the apprenticeship-style program.
