Improving Employability Skills of Advanced Manufacturing Technicians through Industry Mentoring and Experiential Learning Activities

制造业最近已成为北德克萨斯州的主要产业，这是美国主要的农村地区。 虽然制造业为训练有素的生产技术人员创造了许多就业机会，但在该地区很难找到适当的熟练工人。该项目建立在格雷森学院以前的先进技术教育项目的结果。 上一个项目建立了先进制造技术的应用科学学位和证书课程的副学士学位。目前的项目将开发一个行业指导计划和一个新的就业技能课程，以帮助解决区域制造商对熟练技术人员的需求。目前，该地区只有25%的高中生住在距离该学院先进制造业双招生项目不远的地方。 因此，为了满足更多高中生的需求，该项目还将开发先进制造技术人员教育的在线选项，并提供灵活的实验室时间进行实践教学。项目目标是：1）通过正式的行业导师计划提高学生的就业技能; 2）开发基于体验式学习的新就业技能课程; 3）提高目标受众对先进制造业就业机会的认识; 4）为农村地区的高中生提供获得先进制造技术证书或学位的双重入学计划。项目评估将评估行业导师培训计划的有效性，学生在就业技能方面的准备情况，先进制造计划的公众意识水平，以及学生访问的程度。该项目由先进技术教育计划资助，该计划侧重于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Manufacturing has recently emerged as a major industry in North Texas, a predominately rural region of the US. Although the manufacturing industry has created many career opportunities for trained production technicians, it is difficult to find appropriately skilled workers in the region. This project builds on the results of a previous Advanced Technological Education project at Grayson College. The previous project established an Associate of Applied Science degree and certificate programs in Advanced Manufacturing Technology. The current project will develop an industry mentoring program and a new employability skills curriculum, to help address the needs of regional manufacturers for skilled technicians. Currently, only 25% of high school students in the region live within traveling distance to the college’s dual enrollment program in advanced manufacturing. Thus, to meet the needs of more high school students, the project will also develop an online option for advanced manufacturing technician education, with flexible lab hours for hands-on instruction.The project objectives are to: 1) improve student employability skills through a formal industry mentor program; 2) develop a new employability skills curriculum based on experiential learning; 3) increase awareness of advanced manufacturing career opportunities among targeted audiences; and 4) provide access for high school students in rural areas to a dual enrollment program leading to a certificate or degree in advanced manufacturing technology. The project evaluation will assess the effectiveness of the industry mentor training program, the preparedness of students in terms of employability skills, the level of public awareness of the advanced manufacturing program, and the degree to which student access has increased. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.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.