ATE Impacts 2020-2021

Creating Technical Scholars {CTS) Eastern Shore Community College, Melfa, VA https://es.v ccs.edu/academics/creating-technical-scholars CTS Creates Flexible Career Pathways in Rural Community Since 2017 CTS has brought together local high-tech employers, school districts, and four-year institutions to create flexible career pathways with an emphasis on recruiting and retaining underrepresented populations. T he project fills a gap left by short-term training programs that have helped individuals obtain immediate employment, but that have not prepared people to earn degrees, which are often required for promotion to higher-paying jobs within particular trades. into technical studies and offers paid internships to encourage work-based learning. Because the employer needs and demographics of the Eastern Shore align with other rural areas dealing with high poverty and unemployment, the pathways created serve as a model for other colleges. Preparing Technicians forthe Future of Work Center for Occupational Research and Development {CORD), Waco, TX http://preparingtechnicians.org Forward-thinking Project Identifies Technic ian Pro gram Challenges Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work explores the rapid evolution of advanced technologies and their implications for technician education, workforce development, and regional economies. It convened ATE center principal investigators and industry leaders to identify cross-cutting topics that associate degree programs must address as they prepare technicians for occupations that do not yet exist. Ongoing activities include Data Knowledge& Analysis Advanced Digital Literacy Business Knowledge& Processes Employer and educator input influenced data gathering on these topics as the project identified key skills for STEM technicians. • conducting industry visits to document the effects of emerging technologies on working technicians; • holding special interest group meetings with industry and education leaders; • convening regional meetings to determine the skills and knowledge technicians will need in the next decade;and • producing podcasts on Future of Work issues.