VESTA National Center of Excellence

葡萄栽培和酿酒科学技术联盟（VESTA）于2007年成为ATE卓越区域中心，现在包括阿肯色州、俄克拉荷马州、堪萨斯、密歇根州、明尼苏达州、得克萨斯州、俄亥俄州、印第安纳州和威斯康星州的两年制学院，从而完成了将区域中心扩大到包括中西部12个州的目标。专注于为学生提供科学，数学和葡萄栽培和酿酒技术基础，VESTA为学生提供了国家认可的专家教师的骨干，他们提供在线课程，并参与设计和实施当地实地实习。通过不断扩大的合作伙伴关系和利用其突破性的远程教育模式，VESTA为两年制学院和葡萄和葡萄酒生产行业提供了知识和技能发展计划，如果每个机构都必须开发和维持单独的计划，这些计划将无法获得。 凭借这一奖项，VESTA成为ATE国家卓越中心，并进一步扩大其合作伙伴关系，包括四个两年制学院，代表东海岸和西海岸的葡萄和葡萄酒产区。作为国家卓越中心，VESTA继续通过联盟计划扩大合作伙伴关系，该计划在全国范围内增加了20所两年制学院，从而为全国提供了最广泛的课程和专业发展活动。VESTA中心也在扩大其范围，包括创业和商业技能的发展。VESTA正在开发一个试点项目，将其教育与就业成果与迅速兴起的全州教育和劳动力纵向数据库系统联系起来。这项活动显著提高了ATE中心和项目准确跟踪绩效指标的能力。VESTA已经开发和部署了一个突破性的远程教育模式，使教师和学生，特别是在农村地区，参加VESTA计划，无论国家边界。这一示范模式正在广泛传播，对支持国家一级劳动力教育的实施工作产生了广泛影响。最后，VESTA专注于提高退伍军人和其他代表性不足的人群对该行业职业机会的认识和兴趣，并扩大其计划，以适应英语作为第二语言的人群。

The Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA) became an ATE Regional Center of Excellence in 2007 and now includes 2-year colleges in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin, thus completing the goal of expanding the Regional Center to include institutions in 12 Midwest states. With a focus on providing students scientific, mathematics, and technology foundations in viticulture and enology, VESTA provides students access to a cadre of nationally recognized expert instructors who provide online courses and participate in designing and implementing local field practicums. Through its expanding partnership and utilizing its ground-breaking distance education model, VESTA provides 2-year colleges and the grape and wine production industry access to knowledge and skill development programs that would not be available if each institution had to develop and sustain separate programs. With this award, VESTA becomes an ATE National Center of Excellence and further broadens its partnership to include four 2-year colleges that represent grape and wine production regions on the east and west coasts. As a National Center of Excellence, VESTA continues to expand the partnership through an Affiliates program that adds twenty 2-year colleges throughout the nation, thus providing the broadest national access to its programs and professional development activities. The VESTA Center also is expanding its scope to include the development of entrepreneurial and business skills. VESTA is developing a pilot project to link its education to employment outcomes with the rapidly emerging statewide, linked education and workforce longitudinal database systems. This activity significantly improves the capacity of ATE centers and projects to accurately track performance measures. VESTA has developed and deployed a ground-breaking distance education model which enables faculty and students, especially in rural areas, to participate in VESTA programs regardless of state boundaries. This exemplary model, which is being widely disseminated, has broad ramifications for implementation to support the education of a workforce at the national level. Finally, VESTA focuses on increasing awareness and interest of veterans and other underrepresented populations in the career opportunities available in this industry, as well as expanding its program to accommodate those with English as a second language.