Power of Us: Increasing Female Enrollment and Retention in Career and Technical Education Programs

多年来，妇女在技术领域的参与率低一直是一个令人关切的问题。来自几家大型科技公司的劳动力多样性数据显示，女性在技术岗位上的代表性明显不足。业内人士指出，在技术领域攻读学位的女性渠道狭窄是造成这一问题的主要原因。该项目旨在通过实施措施来提高女性在达勒姆技术社区学院以男性为主的职业和技术教育课程中的入学率和保留率，从而解决这一问题。在目标领域注册的女性平均比例仅为13.5%，这意味着占总学生人数53%的女性在追求这些学位方面的代表性远远不足。该项目将采用经过验证的新颖战略和活动，以及其他机构可以采用的公平和包容的做法，以提高女性在传统上以男性为主导的学习项目中的入学率和保留率。该项目将利用达勒姆技术社区学院的新创客空间举办活动，并为学生提供一个可以聚集在一起工作、学习和社交的地方。让“我们的力量”品牌在创客空间中可见，将有助于学院努力创建一个以公平和包容为基础的创客空间，欢迎所有的声音。该项目将提供有吸引力的、女性主导的、以女性为中心的学习机会；提供适合女学生需要的支援服务；否则，创造一个环境，让女学生在有针对性的项目中茁壮成长。通过对这个项目的承诺，学院试图将创客空间植根于公平和包容的理想中，使其成为一个欢迎所有人的空间。这种包容性的创客空间模式将成为北卡罗莱纳州内外的其他大学和组织可以利用的一种模式，以创建欢迎所有人的创客空间。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。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识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 low participation of women in technical fields has been a matter of concern for many years. Workforce-diversity data, from several major technology companies, show a significant underrepresentation of women in technical jobs. Industry points to the narrow pipeline of women pursuing degrees in technical fields as the primary cause of this issue. This project aims to address this issue by implementing measures to increase female enrollment and retention in Durham Technical Community College’s most male-dominated career and technical education programs of study. The average percentage of females enrolled in the targeted areas is only 13.5%, meaning that females, who represent 53% of the overall student population, are vastly underrepresented in the pursuit of such degrees. The project will use both proven and novel strategies and activities, as well as equitable and inclusive practices that other institutions can use to increase female enrollment and retention in traditionally male-dominated programs of study.This project will leverage Durham Technical Community College's new makerspace to hold events and provide a place where students can gather to work, study, and socialize. Making the "Power of Us" brand visible in the makerspace will contribute to the College’s efforts to create a makerspace that is rooted in equity and inclusion, where all voices are welcome. This project will offer engaging, female-led, female-focused learning opportunities; provide support services that are tailored to the needs of female students; and otherwise, create an environment where female students can thrive in the targeted programs. Through its commitment to this project the College seeks to root the makerspace in the ideals of equity and inclusion, making it a welcoming space for all. This inclusive makerspace model will be one that other colleges and organizations, both inside and outside North Carolina, can utilize to create makerspaces that are welcoming to all. 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.