State Fair Community College, regional high schools, three universities, and committed business partners are creating a pipeline for high school and postsecondary students who possess an understanding of technical career opportunities and are academically prepared to be successful in those careers. This project aligns curriculum from high school through college into the workplace and provides partner-developed activities for improving students' knowledge-based skills. The focus is on building mathematics and communication skills using effective and strategic teaching methods that interweave acquired knowledge and skills with applied experiences in business and industry. The project promotes career exploration that results in students making informed decisions regarding technical career fields. The collaboration of classroom instructors and business and industry leaders in developing, implementing and assessing all aspects of the project demonstrates the intellectual merit of this project. Technology is being used to innovatively bring business and industry into classroom experiences so students are making connections between what they are learning and why and how it is being used in the real world. The broad impact of this partnership project is that students from rural areas with limited life experiences are acquiring an empirical foundation in technical careers that translates into a strong, excited and technically prepared workforce.
