Scaling Up Utah's Automated Manufacturing Technician Pipeline

犹他州正在经历先进制造业熟练技术人员的严重短缺，部分原因是由于大量的大小工业继续在全州范围内实现自动化。此外，能够为劳动力充分教育和准备未来技术人员的先进制造项目数量有限。除了为高中生进入先进制造业创造创新渠道以支持经济发展外，该项目还将提供精致的预先包装课程和可编程资源，这些课程和资源可以在全州或全国范围内轻松共享。该项目将成为应用技术学院和中学如何通过学习管理系统进行合作的典范，同时为参与者提供高薪工作和/或进入大学的途径。一个专业发展模式也将被开发和实施，以最好地服务于高中和大学教师，因为他们在自己的机构中适应了先进的制造项目。预计预期的结果和发现将为教育界提供关于如何建立由具有高水平实践培训的学习管理系统组成的混合学习环境的见解。该项目将通过直接影响高中和大学生、布里奇兰技术学院、犹他州技术学院系统以及我们的行业合作伙伴，对全州先进制造技术人员的能力和质量产生重大影响。对学生的好处将是：(1)改进课程；(2)提高保留率；(3)进入自动化制造和机器人行业的职业道路；(4)与当地行业领导者建立牢固的联系。对学院的好处将是：(1)改进课程，(2)招聘策略的新品牌，(3)加强跟踪/保留，(4)在项目管理/拨款撰写方面的高级领导力发展，以及(5)学院成为自动化制造区域培训领导者的途径。犹他州技术学院系统的好处是：(1)在各技术学院之间开展课程开发和合作的试点；(2)在犹他州范围内分享和推广最佳实践的机制。对行业合作伙伴的好处将是：(1)越来越多的学生从事自动化制造的职业，(2)更能反映行业需求的课程。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Utah is experiencing a critical shortage of skilled technicians in advanced manufacturing due, in part, to the abundance of large and small industries which continue to automate their facilitates statewide. Furthermore, there are a limited number of advanced manufacturing programs which are able to adequately educate and prepare future technicians for the workforce. In addition to creating an innovative pipeline of high school students into advanced manufacturing to support the economy, this project will provide a refined prepackaged curriculum and programmatic resources that could be easily shared anywhere across the state or nation. The project will serve as a model on how applied technical colleges and secondary schools can collaborate through learning management systems to simultaneously prepare participants with high paying jobs and/or a pathway to college. A professional development model will also be developed and implemented to best serve high school and college faculty as they adapt the advanced manufacturing program at their own institutions. It is anticipated that the expected outcomes and findings will offer the educational community an insight as to how to build blended learning environments comprised of learning management systems with high levels of hands-on training.This project will make a significant impact on the capacity and quality of advanced manufacturing technicians statewide by directly impacting high school and college students, Bridgerland Technical College, the Utah System of Technical Colleges, and our industry partners. The benefits to students will be: (1) improved curriculum, (2) higher retention rates, (3) access to a pathway into a career into automated manufacturing and robotics, and (4) strong connections to local industry leaders. The benefits to the College will be: (1) improved curriculum, (2) new branding of recruitment strategies, (3) enhanced tracking/retention, (4) advanced leadership development in project management/grant writing, and (5) a pathway for the College to become a regional training leader in automated manufacturing. The benefits to the Utah System of Technical Colleges will be: (1) a pilot of curriculum development and collaboration across technical colleges, and (2) a mechanism of how to share and scale best practices across the State of Utah. The benefits to industry partners will be: (1) growing number of students pursuing careers in automated manufacturing, and (2) a curriculum more reflective of industry needs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.