The California Regional Consortium for Engineering Advances in Technological Excellence (CREATE)

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Research shows that the nation faces a serious shortage of highly trained engineering technicians. Traditional engineering technology education will not be adequate to prepare students for occupations in the high performance workplace of the future. Community colleges can play a major role in eliminating this shortage and respond to future needs, but the cost of advanced engineering technology programs limits the ability of any one college to effectively meet the demand. Links to industry will help colleges keep pace with rapid changes in technology. The California Regional Consortium for Engineering Advances in Technological Education (CREATE) is a joint effort of seven community colleges and over 70 engineering technology employers. Through this project, the Consortium has developed two and three year programs which all begin with a common core curriculum in engineering technology. Each campus then offer two to five advanced technological specialties. Students from any one participating college will be able to transfer to any other college in the Consortium. This unique regional approach allows the CREATE Consortium to: (a) Reinvent science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) curricula. (b) Serve the needs of all students, including low income, underrepresented, and those who previously would not have considered engineering technology. (c) Grow with industry and meet future needs of the high performance workplace. (d) Provide upgrade training to current industry employees. (e) Enhance the status of, and strengthen, engineering technology education. (f) Nurture new teaching methodologies in the classroom and laboratory.