Successful Academic and Employment Pathways in Advanced Technologies

鉴于对训练有素的工程技术工人的需求日益增长，佛罗里达州的一个高等教育机构合作正在研究高中学生进入社区大学的高级技术课程和进入劳动力大军的进展情况。南佛罗里达大学社会学系和人类学系的研究人员正在与希尔斯堡社区学院、波尔克州立学院和佛罗里达州立学院的佛罗里达高级技术中心(FLAATE)合作，研究从高中到社区大学再到行业的学生路径。这项混合方法研究将来自佛罗里达州教育部PK-20教育数据仓库的学生层面纵向数据的二级数据分析和州就业数据与人种学案例研究相结合。这项带有案例研究的准实验研究旨在回答三个主要问题。高中毕业后，谁会进入社区大学学习工程技术课程？学生如何成为工程技术专业的毕业生？工程技术专业的学生如何从入学和获得副学士学位中受益？这项研究通过(1)增加对工程技术课程的招聘和途径的了解；(2)提供信息以改善工程技术人员的教育；(3)发现提高社区大学工程技术课程知名度的有前途的实践；以及(4)提供有关培养合格科学和工程技术人员以满足劳动力需求的实践的信息，从而有助于增加高级技师教育的知识体系和高级技术教育计划的总体使命。

In light of the growing need for highly trained workers in engineering technology, a collaboration of higher education institutions in Florida is examining the progression of students from high schools into advanced technology programs at community colleges and into the workforce. Researchers from the Departments of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of South Florida are teaming up with the Florida Advanced Technological Center (FLATE) at Hillsborough Community College, Polk State College, and the State College of Florida to examine student pathways from high school through community college to industry. The mixed method study integrates secondary data analysis of student-level longitudinal data from the Florida Department of Education PK-20 Education Data Warehouse and state employment data with ethnographic case studies. The quasi-experimental research study with case studies is designed to answer three overarching questions. Who enrolls in engineering technology programs at community colleges out of high school? How do students become engineering technology graduates? How do engineering technology students benefit from enrollment and associate degree attainment? The study contributes to a growing body of knowledge on advanced technician education and to the overall mission of the Advanced Technological Education Program by (1) increasing understanding of recruitment and pathways into engineering technology programs; (2) providing information to improve the education of engineering technicians; (3) discovering promising practices that increase the visibility of engineering technology programs at community colleges; and (4) providing information about practices that produce qualified science and engineering technicians to meet workforce demands.