Practical Polymers for Students and Industry (PPSI)

塑料和聚合物产品在日常生活的许多方面无处不在，这就产生了对塑料制造和相关行业熟练技术劳动力的持续需求。通过Track 2 ATE项目，宾夕法尼亚理工大学(Penn College)寻求重新设计其塑料/聚合物技术计划(PPT)，以接触到更广泛的潜在和现有技术人员，包括应届毕业生和现有工人。通过该项目，该团队的目标是创建新的证书、AAS和AAS到BS计划途径，这些途径主要是异步在线课程，并辅之以夏季和周末密集的动手实验。这些途径可能会提供一个低门槛、快速进入的机会，拓宽新员工和现有员工进入聚合物技术行业高薪职业的途径。此外，该项目寻求增进对目前塑料领域代表性不足的人群的了解。该项目有四个主要目标：(1)重新设计AAS计划的第一年，建立两个混合的，异步的学分证书计划；(2)通过与当地技术雇主的接触，招募成人学习者加入重新设计的PPT AAS和证书计划；(3)通过课堂活动和双重注册计划，向至少300名高中生介绍PPT教育和职业道路；以及(4)提供PPT教育者外部奖学金，以支持高中教育工作者将聚合物技术主题融入高中STEM课程。该项目团队还计划调查如何有效地实施一项异步多途径培训计划，让广泛的学习者参与，包括完成大学预科课程的当前高中生、有兴趣进入该领域担任技术人员的应届毕业生以及寻求提高技能的现有工人。项目评估工作旨在增进人们对以下问题的理解：居住在学院附近地区以外的学生是否能够在大幅减少在校时间的情况下有效地完成PPT证书，以及如何为在岗工人提供培训，为学生和雇主都增加价值。建议与广泛的利益相关者共享项目结果，包括其他ATE计划受赠者、技术学院、高等教育机构和行业合作伙伴。该项目由高级技术教育计划资助，该计划专注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优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Plastics and polymer products are ubiquitous in many aspects of daily life, which creates a continuous demand for a skilled technical workforce in plastics manufacturing and related industries. Through the Track 2 ATE project, Pennsylvania College of Technology (Penn College), seeks to redesign its plastics/polymer technology program (PPT) to reach a broader population of potential and current technicians, including new graduates and incumbent workers. Through the project, this team aims to create new certificate, AAS, and AAS-to-BS program pathways that are predominantly asynchronous, online courses, paired with intensive summer and weekend hands-on labs. These pathways are likely to provide a low-barrier, rapid on-ramp opportunities that broaden access for new and incumbent workers to enter well-paying careers in polymer technology industries. Additionally, the project seeks to advance understanding about reaching populations that are currently underrepresented in plastics fields. Ultimately, this project has the potential for far-reaching applicability for other technical education institutions, with relevance for a wide range of employers in the plastics manufacturing sector.The project has four primary objectives: (1) redesign the first year of the AAS program to establish two hybrid, asynchronous for-credit certificate programs; (2) recruit adult learners into the redesigned PPT AAS and certificate programs through outreach to local technical employers; (3) introduce at least 300 high school students to PPT educational and career pathways through classroom activities and dual enrollment programs; and (4) provide a PPT Educator Externship to support high school educators to integrate polymer technology topics into high school STEM classes. The project team also plans to investigate how to efficiently implement an asynchronous multi-pathway training program that engages a wide range of learners, including current high school students completing an early college program, new graduates interested in entering the field as technicians, and incumbent workers who seek to increase their skills. Project evaluation efforts seek to advance understanding about whether students who live outside of the College’s nearby region can meaningfully complete a PPT certificate with substantially reduced on-campus time, and how to give incumbent workers training that adds value for both the student and employer. Project findings are proposed to be shared with a wide range of stakeholders, including other ATE program grantees, technical colleges, institutions of higher education, and industry partners. 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.