MATEC - National Resource Center

Maricopa County Community College District, Tempe AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Semiconductor, Advanced Manufacturing, and Electronics Technology The Maricopa Advanced Technology Education Center National Resource Center (MATEC-NRC) provides resources and services that are directed at enhancing the technician workforce and its diversity and strengthening community college semiconductor, automated manufacturing, and electronics programs. The project links a comprehensive array of programs and services developed by MATEC, its partners and collaborating ATE Centers and projects. It creates unique programs that incorporate lessons learned into its juried clearinghouse. The center has an extensive dissemination and outreach effort, which is designed to insure the resources, are utilized to affect maximum student impact. The NRC creates a network of industry and educators to exchange knowledge, needs and trends. The resource center also develops a set of best-known tools and resources for program development. With key strategic linkages to other ATE projects and centers such as the National Center for Manufacturing Education and the National Engineering Technology Education Clearinghouse, the NRC is developing a comprehensive resource to support technician education across disciplinary fields. The MATEC-NRC focuses on the following goals: Goal 1: Expand involvement of the education community in contributing to national knowledge about technician preparation. Goal 2: Establish a unique model program for creating and broadly disseminating, reusable learning material for technician preparation. Goal 3: Equip schools and communities with the ability to create an awareness of career and education opportunities and learners with the ability make decisions about career and education options. Goal 4: Accelerate the ability of the national technician education community to adapt as technologies and learner needs change. Intellectual merit: The primary focus of this project is in the areas of semiconductor, automated manufacturing, and electronics with key linkages to manufacturing, MEMS and nanotechnology and engineering technologies. The resources offered ensure that current science, math, and technology are learned in the relative context of these disciplines. Broader Impact: This project involves collaboration between industry and education to leverage the impact of MATEC, its partners and collaborators. Together they focus on unifying efforts in program support and assembly of exemplary material and practices in the area. To ensure student impact the NRC provides not only material resources, but also guides to resource implementation for maximum student impact. Through strategic linkages with ATE projects and centers, the impact is being extended to new constituencies and ultimately results in learners with a broad skill set that promotes their skills and abilities in diverse industry sectors.