The Engineering Education Expansion Project at Ranken Technical College is increasing enrollment and graduation in electrical engineering and mechanical engineering design programs that are closely linked to workforce opportunities in the St. Louis area. The project strengthens collaborative efforts among Ranken, the St. Louis Public School System, College Summit St. Louis and Better Family Life to recruit high-school students into educational pathways that lead to technical careers and to support their persistence and degree attainment. Project elements include 1) enhanced recruiting that informs high-school students, as well as their teachers and guidance counselors, about meaningful and well-paying technical careers, 2) accelerated pathways into college through dual enrollment programs and a summer bridge academy, 3) implementation of a new program in Mechanical Engineering Design Technology, 4) enhanced student support services, and 5) opportunities for financial support through internships, including an innovative micro-enterprise program in collaboration with local industry. The project is leveraging collaborative relationships with schools, non-profit organizations and industry in the St. Louis region and using well-established practices to increase engineering degree attainment. In addition to serving local workforce and educational needs, the program is serving students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, including first-generation college students and groups underrepresented in engineering and other STEM fields.
