Northeast Community College (NECC) is partnering with five rural community school districts, Wayne State College, the University of Nebraska at Omaha's College of Information Science and Technology, and its local business community to develop and implement the Technology Academy of Northeast Nebraska (TANN Academy). The TANN Academy is working to increase the number and preparedness of electronics and information technology technicians by developing, implementing, evaluating, and disseminating a cost-effective model for educating highly skilled electronics and information technology specialists in sparsely populated, rural communities.
Building on a successful partnership that has spanned the last three years, as well as NECC's involvement in the Midwest Center for Information Technology (MCIT), an ATE regional IT center of excellence, the TANN Academy is creating a replicable model technician education program that includes the following features: articulated, seamless education from high school to community college to four-year college; joint delivery of technical courses in the community college setting for dual enrollment; coordinated student outreach and recruitment focusing especially on underrepresented populations (females and students of color); expanded work-based learning opportunities; and, shared teacher/faculty development opportunities. Through NECC's active participation in the MCIT, the project deliverables have immediate access to an established regional distribution system. Dissemination of the model also occurs through presentations at state, regional, and national workshops and conferences, the development and implementation of a project website, and through publication in refereed journals.
