ATE Advanced Aerospace Welding (AAW)

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Mountwest Community and Technical College (MCTC) will partner with the Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI) at Marshall University to implement a project aimed at revitalizing an ailing regional economy that was previously dependent on the coal industry. MCTC and RCBI propose to expand the existing welding technician program by designing and implementing a curriculum that includes a skillset in aerospace welding. The project activities will include a comprehensive effort to create flexible learning options within manufacturing programs, strengthen student support, and address underrepresentation of female and underserved students. Program improvements will not only strengthen aviation maintenance education but also position the program to better meet workforce needs of employers across the tri-state manufacturing sector of Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia.The project will pursue the following objectives: 1) enhance MCTC/RCBI’s Welding Technology program to include stackable credentials, including a skillset in aerospace welding, 2) design of a new modular curriculum and the addition of up-to-date equipment to meet instructional needs and prepare students to contribute to the region’s growing aerospace industry, 3) provide enhanced support services and career-learning experiences in order to help students, especially women and those who are underserved, attain their college goals and meet the needs of the region's manufacturing employers, and 4) work with the K-12, universities, and employers to create robust career pathways that have documented entry/exit points and are supported by articulation agreements and aligned skill sets. 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.