The issue addressed in this project for Mississippi, and perhaps other states in the Nation, is that K-12 educational systems have not been able to keep up with the changing requirements for graduates who wish to go directly into the industrial workforce. This is particularly acute in the realm of contemporary technology. This project develops a series of classes for 7th-12th grade teachers that facilitates the integration of contemporary high technology knowledge into their regular classes. Through this mechanism, students should be better prepared to enter industry directly or to proceed into the community college system. Thus, the industries in the region should find high school and community college graduates who are better prepared for the modern day workforce within their geographical region.
The overarching goal of Technology Initiative in Manufacturing and Engineering (TIME) was to develop a model that could be incorporated state- and nation-wide bridging the workforce gap among K-12 schools, community colleges, universities, government entities, and manufacturing/ industries. The program aligned with the Mississippi Department of Education’s (MDE) initiative to promote strategic partnerships. This collaborative effort among universities, community colleges, and regional industries provided a model with strategies to unite education and industry while producing qualified technicians for the high-tech fields which are driving the economy. Objectives focused on two areas: 1) teacher enhancement, and 2) student enrichment. Teachers in grades 7 – 12 interacted with community college and university faculty as well as industry partners to learn and incorporate into their lesson plans, the science, mathematics, and technology skills needed to build a competitive workforce. Students gained knowledge of skill sets necessary to succeed in the workplace and investigated a career path which could extend beyond high school into postsecondary or the workforce. Upon completion of the program, students received the Workforce Readiness Skills Certification required in the workplace, making them ‘employment ready’. To accomplish these objectives, the project used a variety of strategies and activities. Accordingly, a Logic Model was developed and implemented for assessing the theory of action underpinning the project, and for evaluating the project’s effectiveness in achieving the objectives and project goal. Through this project, teachers developed skills to better prepare their students to enter the workforce, became more aware of career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and learned basic workplace competencies and values to encourage their students to become members of a productive workforce in Mississippi and the nation. Teacher/counselor participants took the same Career Readiness Credentials (CRC) test that the students took and participated in a scaled-down version of the Manufacturing Skills Basic Certification Courses to gain a better understanding of the STEM needs in the manufacturing world. In the classroom, students learned the important requirements of STEM in manufacturing, became aware of career opportunities in the STEM fields, and explored a career path beyond high school. Outside the classroom students participated in certification classes at the community colleges that prepared them for: 1) school to work readiness, 2) community college and/or university readiness. Analysis of the evaluation evidence indicated that the TIME Project implemented a targeted design that melded schools, teachers and students with the manufacturing workplace, and that the goal of the TIME Project was achieved. The desired teacher impacts were evidenced by significant changes in their knowledge levels, and substantial evidence that the teachers effectively embedded what they learned from the TIME activities into their classroom curriculum and instruction. Further evidence indicated that the teachers used a variety of strategies for disseminating what they had learned pertaining to manufacturing needs in the summer workshops to their colleagues and other school staff. It is clear from the evaluation evidence that through this project, teachers have developed skills to better prepare their students to enter the workforce, become more aware of career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and learn basic workplace competencies and values to encourage their students to become members of a productive workforce. The evidence also supports the claim that the student objective of the project were achieved. Students were provided STEM skills both in the classroom and through job shadowing in manufacturing industries to become aware of career opportunities in the STEM fields and explore a career path beyond high school. Outside the classroom students participated in certification classes at the community colleges that were designed to prepare them for school to work readiness and community college and/or university readiness where they achieved certification in a nationally recognized 86-hour Manufacturing Skills Basic Certification (MSBC) course. Evidence from the student surveys indicated they did acquire workplace skills, demonstrated achievement through the courses, and became more aware of career options. The tracking data indicated many of the students who participated in the TIME project are pursuing STEM-related fields in post-secondary institutions. In addition, the two objectives for the project, teacher enhancement and student enrichment have been accomplished with the interaction between community college and university faculty, as well as industry partners, to learn how to incorporate into STEM curriculum, the science, mathematics, and technology skills needed to build a competitive workforce. In so doing the project has demonstrated a model which could be implemented in other settings where efforts are being made to create bridges across K-12 schools, community colleges, universities, government entities, and manufacturing industries for reducing workforce gaps.
