Volume 3, Issue 1 | February 2022
Project Updates
Micro-Lessons from
Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work
Preparing Technicians continues to develop tools to support educators in adopting the Framework for a Cross-Disciplinary STEM Core with new additions to the catalog of instructional cards. The instructional cards are bite-sized lessons designed to address the convergence of skills and knowledge within the Cross-Disciplinary STEM Core—advanced digital literacy, data knowledge and analysis, and business knowledge and processes—with skills in advanced technology education programs.

The cards are being developed in collaboration with subject matter experts from a variety of technical backgrounds, and are intended to be micro-lessons that are sufficiently thorough yet simple enough for easy use.

The new cards cover Lean Processes, Communication, Spreadsheets, and Data Fluency skills.
 
One instructional card containing short, introductory content is being created for each of the 40+ skills listed in the Cross-Disciplinary STEM Core. Each card will have student content and content designed specifically for educators for classroom implementation of micro-lessons. Access the instructional cards here and check back for updates as new ones are being added.
Ready to learn more about how to prepare technicians for the work of the future?

Webinars and Workshops Coming Soon!

The Workforce of the Future Needs Innovative Education
by Dr. Annette Parker
President of South Central College

Read the full article as Dr. Parker advocates adopting the project's
"A Framework for a Cross-Disciplinary STEM Core" as a strategy for preparing the future of work.
Annette Parker is President of South Central College where her extensive industry knowledge and broad higher education experience have helped build capacity to serve the college’s students and the communities in which they live. Dr. Parker's demonstrates her deep commitment to education and workforce development through her leadership and service on numerous boards including the CORD Board of Directors and the MIT Work of the Future Task Force Advisory Board.
Innovating Resources
Visualizing our Community College Programs
The Hidden Innovation Infrastructure: Understanding the Economic Development Role of Technician Education in the Changing Future of Work is an NSF Advanced Technological Education (ATE) research project (DUE 2026262) that aims to define the “hidden innovation ecosystems or infrastructures” that evolve from ATE grants and community college technical programs. The project activities include an ambitious, qualitative study of ATE-educated technicians at their workplaces and in the regional economy using data from studies with NSF ATE regional projects; analysis of past and current ATE grants for impact on economic development; and nationally available student and industry data. Looking at the national data sets, the project team has developed a visualization tool to facilitate comparisons and review trends.  Read more about the project in this article by Co-PI Dr. Marilyn Barger at FLATE (part of the the FloridaMakes Network).

If you have any questions about the project, please contact Marilyn or the team at Rutgers Education and Employment Research Center.
Upcoming Events
Grant-Seeker Academy Accepting Applications for Mentoring for NSF ATE Funding
The Pathways to Innovation project’s Grant-Seeker Academy offers individual mentoring, professional development, and technical assistance, with a special focus on deep employer engagement, for community and technical colleges pursuing grants from the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program.
For additional details about Grant-Seeker Academy and the application on visit the website.
HI-TEC Conference Announces Call for Proposals
The deadline for proposals for Hi-TEC 2022 is March 3.
For more information and submission forms visit the website.
AACC Calling All Community College
Student Innovators
Do you know a student with an entrepreneurial spirit and an interest in STEM?
The American Association of Community Colleges, in partnership with the National Science Foundation, is inviting community college students to participate in the 2022 Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC).
The CCIC is a national competition where teams of community college students work with a faculty or administrator mentor to use science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to innovate solutions to real-world problems, receive full travel support to attend an Innovation Boot Camp in the Washington, DC, metro area, and compete for cash awards.

Listen to Our Podcast
Hosted by Mike Lesiecki
Catch Up On Recent Episodes

Listen to our interview with Tom Tubon of BioMADE as he and Mike discuss how BioMADE is catalyzing collaboration and innovation to help develop and expand the future workforce for industrial biotechnology.
For additional educational resources and tools visit the podcast show notes.
Thomas C. Tubon, Phd
Chief Workforce Development Officer
BioMADE Manufacturing Innovation Institute

In this podcast with guest Matthew Kirchner of Lab Midwest hear how manufacturers are working with educators to develop credentials and certification programs for an effective talent pipeline that is ready for the future of work. Don't miss the additional resources and tools in the show notes.
Matthew Kirchner
President
Lab Midwest
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Administered by the
Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD)
Funding and support provided
by the
National Science Foundation
Disclaimer: This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under NSF DUE #1839567. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.