Collaborative Research: TRANSFORM: TRANSFORMing liberal arts careers to meet demand for advanced manufacturing workforce

与工程等技术类专业不同，非技术类专业的失业率较高；社会科学为8.9%，文科为9.4%。这些刚毕业的大学生中有很高比例的人失业或未充分就业，这对我们国家的经济活力来说是个问题。这些学生无论是通过他们的智力技能还是他们的消费能力都不能为国家的经济增长做出贡献。在这个项目中，东北大学和马斯贝社区学院正在合作实施一种创新的转型模式，以重新装备文科大学毕业生的技能，为他们在制造业的职业生涯做准备。该项目使目标人群能够进入高级制造业工作，否则这些工作会因为全国范围内合格求职者的短缺而空缺。转型计划还提高了代表不足群体成员对制造业职业的认识。转型模式在相关组成部分(政府、行业和技术教育提供者)中使用分担负担的方法。转型计划为期12个月的模块快速通道课程包括课程和实习。行业实习为学生提供基于项目的学习经验，以促进学生的职业过渡。Transform正在为文科毕业生提供可扩展的、经过教学验证的制造课程，该课程可以在地方、地区和国家层面以及能源等其他部门复制。社交媒体被用来广泛接触文科毕业生。该项目的三个指导性评估问题是：1)与准备目标人群自信而有能力地进入制造业劳动力相关的自我效能感的适当模式是什么？2)该计划的各个组成部分是否成功地为目标人口进入制造业劳动力做好了准备？3)需要哪些机构能力来维持该计划的长期发展？

Unlike technical majors such as engineering, unemployment among non-technical majors is high; 8.9% for Social Sciences and 9.4% for Liberal Arts graduates. Unemployment or underemployment of a high percentage of these recent college graduates is problematic for the economic vitality of our nation. These students do not contribute to the nation's economic growth through either their intellectual skills or their spending power.In this project, Northeastern University and MassBay Community College are collaboratively implementing an innovative TRANSFORM model to retool the skill set of liberal arts college graduates to prepare them for careers in manufacturing. The project is enabling the targeted population to step into the advanced manufacturing jobs that otherwise go unfilled due to shortage of qualified job seekers nationwide. The TRANSFORM program is also increasing the awareness of manufacturing careers among members of underrepresented groups.The TRANSFORM model is using the share-the-burden approach among the concerned constituents (government, industry and technical education providers). The modular, 12-month fast-track curriculum of the TRANSFORM program includes courses and internships. The industry-based internships are providing students with project-based learning experience to facilitate students' career transition. TRANSFORM is offering a scalable pedagogically proven manufacturing curriculum for liberal arts graduates that can be replicated at the local, regional, and national levels, and in other sectors such as energy. Social media is being used to reach out to liberal arts graduates on a broad scale.The three guiding evaluation questions for this project are:1) What is an appropriate model of self-efficacy associated with preparing the target population to confidently and capably enter the manufacturing workforce?2) Do the various components of the program successfully prepare the target population to enter the manufacturing workforce?3) What institutional capacities are needed to sustain the program over time?