Modernization of a Technical Welding Program to Better Serve Non-Traditional Students

该项目将有助于满足国家对高技能STEM技术劳动力的需求。它的目标是通过培养高素质的焊接技术人员来满足纽约西部先进制造业的劳动力需求。该项目的重点是该地区对焊工和冶金专家的需求尚未得到满足，预计到2024年，这一需求将增长7%以上。该项目将通过改善现有的焊接技术应用科学副学士学位计划来满足这一劳动力需求。改进措施包括将焊接课程从校外职业培训中心搬迁到现代化的校园内设施，使学生更容易接触到焊接课程。该计划将学分计划与非学分认证相结合，以培养训练有素的焊接技术人员，为长期从事焊接技术工作做好准备。这些改进预计将使成功完成该项目的学生数量增加一倍。该项目将在校园内开发一个最先进的焊接和金属制造教学实验室。通过增加这个实验室，以及修改课程时间以更好地适应白天的大学时间表，该项目打算将其容量和招生人数增加一倍，预计每学期为50名学生服务。该计划将在晚上、周末和季节性休息期间举办额外的课程。该项目将与区域焊接公司发展伙伴关系，在工业咨询委员会的投入下，合作设计课程和定制课程。这些努力旨在形成一个强大的计划，促进以学生能力与现场就业机会相匹配的实践学习体验。该项目将启动一年一度的工业焊接日，学生们将在那里展示他们的工作，并有机会参加与未来雇主的公开面试。这种统一的方法预计将提高焊接技术课程的入学率、保留率和毕业率，从而增加符合焊接职业安置条件的高技能技术人员的数量。为了更好地为学生在焊接领域的成功职业生涯做好准备，在焊接技术课程中任教的教师将获得认证焊接教师和认证焊接检查员资格。这些证书将使教师更好地为教育学生和评估他们的工作做好准备。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。

This project will contribute to the national need for a highly skilled STEM technical workforce. It aims to do so by producing highly qualified welding technicians to satisfy workforce needs in the Advanced Manufacturing Industry in Western New York. The project focuses on the unmet need for welders and metallurgy specialists in the region, a need that is expected to increase more than 7% by 2024. This project will address this workforce need by improving an existing Associates in Applied Science in Welding Technology degree program. Improvements include relocating the welding program from an off campus vocational training center to a modernized, on-campus facility where it will be more accessible to students. The program will combine for-credit programing with non-credit certifications to produce highly trained welding technicians who are prepared for long-term careers in welding technology. These improvements are projected to double the number of students who successfully complete the program.The project will develop a state-of-the-art welding and metal fabrication instructional lab on campus. Through the addition of this lab, as well as modification of program hours to better fit the daytime college schedule, the program intends to double its capacity and enrollment with the expectation to serve 50 students each semester. The program will host additional classes in the evenings, on weekends, and over seasonal breaks. The project will develop partnerships with area welding companies to collaboratively design course offerings and a customized curriculum with input from an Industry Advisory Council. These efforts are designed to result in a robust program that facilitates hands-on learning experiences centered on aligning student ability with employment opportunities in the field. The project will inaugurate an annual Industry Welding Day where students will showcase their work and have an opportunity to participate in open interviews with prospective employers. This unified approach is expected to increase enrollment, retention, and graduation rates within the Welding Technology Program, and thus increase the number of highly skilled technicians eligible for placement in welding careers. To better prepare students for successful careers in welding, faculty teaching in the welding technology program will earn Certified Welding Educator and Certified Welding Inspector credentials. These certifications will better prepare the faculty to educate students and evaluate their work. 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.