Advancing STEM Industries through Student Scholarships and Support Services

为了满足地区雇主的需求，奇佩瓦谷技术学院（CVTC）的这个项目正在为学生创造在STEM专业劳动力中追求职业的途径。一种途径是为先进制造、建筑和计算机等领域的雇主提供合格的副学士学位毕业生，而另一种途径是转入四年制大学攻读STEM专业的更高学位。除了满足威斯康星州西部不断增长的工业需求外，该项目还为CVTC附近几个农村高中学区的学生建立了一个进入STEM高等教育的入口。从技术角度来看，该计划将颁发100份S-STEM奖学金予修读下列副学士学位课程的全日制学生：工业工程技术员、土木工程技术员、制造工程技术员、资讯科技网络技术员、资讯科技软件开发人员及纳米工程技术。除了奖学金，对S-STEM学者的支持还包括每月举办的活动，重点关注未来的教育和职业机会，获得STEM职业顾问，同行领导的学习小组以及教师，校友和行业专业人士的指导。通过使用机构研究数据和学生调查，测量的结果包括项目对S-STEM学者的入学、学习成绩、保留和毕业、项目毕业生就业保障以及成功转学到四年制大学的影响。

In order to address the needs of regional employers, this project at Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) is creating pathways for its students to pursue careers in the STEM professional workforce. One pathway is providing well-qualified associate's degree graduates to employers in fields such as advanced manufacturing, construction and computing, while a second pathway leads to transfer to four-year institutions to pursue higher academic degrees as STEM majors. In addition to serving the needs of a growing industrial presence in western Wisconsin, the project is establishing a point of entry into STEM higher education for students in several rural high school districts in the vicinity of CVTC.From a technical standpoint, the project is awarding 100 S-STEM scholarships to full-time students enrolled in the following associate's degree programs at CVTC: Industrial Engineering Technician, Civil Engineering Technician, Manufacturing Engineering Technologist, Information Technology-Network Specialist, Information Technology-Software Developer and Nano Engineering Technology. Besides the scholarships, support for the S-STEM scholars includes monthly events that focus on future educational and professional opportunities, access to a STEM Career Advisor, peer-led study groups and mentoring by faculty, alumni and industry professionals. Through the use of institutional research data and student surveys, outcomes being measured include the impact of the project on the enrollment, academic performance, retention and graduation of the S-STEM scholars, employment secured by program graduates and successful transfers to four-year institutions.