Expanding Pathways for Advanced Manufacturing Technicians in West Virginia

蓝岭社区和技术学院具有独特的地理位置，横跨西部的农村社区和东部的马里兰州和弗吉尼亚州的郊区。多年来，这个地方相对孤立，面临着与阿巴拉契亚大部分地区一样的经济挑战。最近，随着公司扩大业务或开设新设施，西弗吉尼亚州东部狭长地带的制造业相关就业正在迅速增长。该项目建立在与地区工业现有伙伴关系的基础上，旨在提供先进制造业的技术教育，以满足该地区工业劳动力的需求。具体来说，该项目将开发先进制造业的双学分计划，以便高中生在追求先进制造业证书时可以获得高中和大学学分。该项目还将开发一门入门数学课程，帮助学生为大学数学做好准备。STEM教育基础设施和先进制造途径的这些增强预计将为西弗吉尼亚州东部狭长地带的低收入学生扩大技术职业机会。该项目的主要目标是将学院的先进制造技术项目扩展到高中学生，并提高该项目学生的完成度、保留率和入学率。将用于实现这些目标的项目活动包括：1)实施Math JumpStart和强化咨询，以加强高中生和年轻人的具体STEM技能；2)开发新的混合先进制造课程，为需要提高STEM技能的全日制或非全日制学生拓展学习途径；3)在摩根县的Pines中心装备一个新的实验室设施，使体验式学习与区域制造合作伙伴的实际就业经验相结合。工业界将通过区域工业会议和工业咨询委员会的会议参与该项目。招收更多学生的外展活动将集中在高中、社区组织和地方政府办公室。项目成果将通过形成性和总结性评估设计进行评估，使用来自调查、焦点小组和汇总大学数据的项目成果数据。该项目的一个主要公共利益是增加了来自世代贫困家庭的学生获得技术职业的机会，从而支持向上的经济流动。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。

Blue Ridge Community and Technical College has a unique geographical location spanning rural communities to the west and more suburban areas of Maryland and Virginia to the east. For many years, this location was relatively isolated and faced economic challenges common to much of Appalachia. Recently, manufacturing-related employment in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia is growing rapidly as companies expand operations or open new facilities. Building on an existing partnership with regional industry, this project aims to provide technical education in advanced manufacturing to address industry workforce needs in the region. Specifically, this project will develop a dual credit program in advanced manufacturing, so that high school students can earn both high school and college credits as they pursue advanced manufacturing credentials. The project will also develop a gateway mathematics course to help prepare students for college mathematics. These enhancements in the STEM educational infrastructure and advanced manufacturing pathways are expected to expand technical career opportunities for low income students in the West Virginia eastern panhandle region. The primary objectives of this project are to expand the college’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology program to include high school students and to improve completion, retention, and enrollment of students in the program. Project activities that will be used to achieve these objectives include: 1) implementing Math JumpStart and intensive advising to strengthen specific STEM skills for high school students and young adults; 2) developing new hybrid advanced manufacturing courses to expand pathways for students employed either full- or part-time and in need of specific STEM skills enhancement; and 3) equipping a new lab facility at the Pines Center in Morgan County to enable experiential learning aligned with real-life employment experiences at regional manufacturing partners. Industry will be engaged with the project through regional industry conferences and meetings of the Industry Advisory Committee. Outreach activities to recruit more students will focus on high schools, community organizations, and local government offices. Project outcomes will be evaluated through a formative and summative evaluation design using data about project outcomes from surveys, focus groups, and aggregated college data. A primary public benefit of this project is increased access to technical careers for students from households with generational poverty, thus supporting upward economic mobility. 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.