Improving Employability Skills of Advanced Manufacturing Technicians through Industry Mentoring and Experiential Learning Activities

制造业最近已成为德克萨斯州北部的主要产业，这是美国一个以农村为主的地区。尽管制造业为训练有素的生产技术员创造了许多职业机会，但在该地区很难找到合适的熟练工人。这个项目是在格雷森学院之前的一个高级技术教育项目的基础上进行的。之前的项目设立了应用科学副学士学位和先进制造技术证书课程。目前的项目将制定一个行业指导计划和一个新的就业能力技能课程，以帮助满足地区制造商对熟练技术人员的需求。目前，该地区只有25%的高中生住在该学院先进制造业双重招生计划的交通距离内。因此，为了满足更多高中生的需求，该项目还将开发高级制造技术员教育的在线选项，提供灵活的实验室动手指导。项目目标是：1)通过正式的行业导师计划提高学生的就业能力技能；2)开发基于体验式学习的新的就业能力技能课程；3)在目标受众中提高对先进制造业职业机会的认识；以及4)为农村地区的高中生提供双重招生计划，从而获得先进制造技术的证书或学位。项目评估将评估行业导师培训计划的有效性，学生在就业能力技能方面的准备情况，公众对先进制造计划的认识水平，以及学生入学机会增加的程度。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。

Manufacturing has recently emerged as a major industry in North Texas, a predominately rural region of the US. Although the manufacturing industry has created many career opportunities for trained production technicians, it is difficult to find appropriately skilled workers in the region. This project builds on the results of a previous Advanced Technological Education project at Grayson College. The previous project established an Associate of Applied Science degree and certificate programs in Advanced Manufacturing Technology. The current project will develop an industry mentoring program and a new employability skills curriculum, to help address the needs of regional manufacturers for skilled technicians. Currently, only 25% of high school students in the region live within traveling distance to the college’s dual enrollment program in advanced manufacturing. Thus, to meet the needs of more high school students, the project will also develop an online option for advanced manufacturing technician education, with flexible lab hours for hands-on instruction.The project objectives are to: 1) improve student employability skills through a formal industry mentor program; 2) develop a new employability skills curriculum based on experiential learning; 3) increase awareness of advanced manufacturing career opportunities among targeted audiences; and 4) provide access for high school students in rural areas to a dual enrollment program leading to a certificate or degree in advanced manufacturing technology. The project evaluation will assess the effectiveness of the industry mentor training program, the preparedness of students in terms of employability skills, the level of public awareness of the advanced manufacturing program, and the degree to which student access has increased. 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.