Cultivating Career Pathways for Advanced Manufacturing Technicians

南达科他州劳工监管部最近报告了近3,000个制造业职位空缺，预计到2030年该行业将增加3,500个工作岗位。该报告和其他指标强调了对熟练技术人员的重大需求，以填补该州高需求，高工资的先进制造业工作。湖区技术学院为期三年的努力将鼓励在更早的年龄学习和职业道路，为区域制造商提供扩大和多样化的人才管道，并加强教育和工业之间的关系。该项目是在中等教育、劳动力发展和行业合作伙伴的支持下开发的，他们与LATC有着共同的愿景，即扩大工人的就业能力和收入潜力，发展州经济。该项目的总体目标是招收更多的大学预科学生进入学院的先进制造课程，并增加进入劳动力市场的技术人员数量。该项目将为初中和高中学生提供机会，探索南达科他州中学不常强调的职业和技术教育选择。教师，管理人员和其他有影响力的人也将了解这些职业的重要性，并找到资源，以改善中等技术教育计划，并支持学生在他们的职业和教育决策。在为期三年的项目中，STEM相关的招聘活动将达到1，050名学生。此外，30名中学教育工作者将加入LATC的STEM学习社区，60名在职工人将通过学院接受额外的技术培训。该项目将有助于打破该地区制造业的耻辱;向学生、家长、教育工作者和在职工人介绍新的职业机会;并分享具有各种STEM相关能力的个人如何在当今制造业取得成功的例子。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。

The South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation recently reported nearly 3,000 manufacturing job openings and the industry is projected to add 3,500 jobs by 2030. This report and other indicators highlight the significant need for skilled technicians to fill the state’s high-demand, high-wage Advanced Manufacturing jobs. Lake Area Technical College’s three-year effort will encourage learning and career pathways at an earlier age, provide regional manufacturers with an expanded and diversified talent pipeline, and strengthen relationships between education and industry. The project was developed with the support of secondary education, workforce development, and industry partners who share LATC’s vision for expanded employability and earning potential for workers and a growing state economy.The overall goal of the project is to recruit larger classes of college-ready students into the college’s Advanced Manufacturing programs and increase the number of technicians entering the workforce. The project will provide the opportunity for middle and high school students to explore careers and technical education options not often emphasized in South Dakota’s secondary schools. Teachers, administrators and other influencers will also learn the importance of these careers and find resources for improving secondary technical education programs and supporting students in their career and education decisions. Over the course of the three-year project, STEM-related recruiting events will reach 1,050 students. In addition, 30 secondary educators will join LATC’s STEM learning community and 60 incumbent workers will receive additional technical training through the college. This project will help break the manufacturing industry stigma in the region; introduce students, parents, educators and incumbent workers to new career opportunities; and share examples of how individuals with a variety of STEM-related aptitudes can succeed in today’s manufacturing industry. 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.