Early College Career Exploration Through STEM Courses and Apprenticeships in Advanced Manufacturing

Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network Inc., Cleveland OH

Investigators

Abstract

This project will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase student motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) by examining an innovative approach to work-based learning for high school students. This project will expand upon an existing program to provide students from groups underrepresented in STEM fields with dynamic career and technical training experiences through partnerships with advanced manufacturing companies and community colleges in the local region. The project extends research on work-based learning by examining a model that includes six important components: career awareness, soft skills development, mentoring, employer engagement, provision of industry recognized credentials, and college credit. The project weaves together paid internships, culturally-responsive mentoring, career awareness, college credit, soft skills development, and industry-recognized certifications into one career pathway program for urban and rural high school students. The program focuses on girls and minority participants, and in grades 11 and 12, participants devote 10 hours per week to a paid internship at a local manufacturing company. Participants can also earn up to 12 college credits while completing the program. This project will build on a career-awareness program model that begins with all students in grade 9 at five schools attending awareness-building seminars, watching online videos, hearing guest speakers, and taking factory tours to gain broad awareness of possible STEM career pathwayss in manufacturing. At grade 10, through a combination of self-selection, teacher nominations, and parent involvement, up to 12 students per school join the project cohort and begin learning job-related skills, training on equipment, and earning college credit at their local community college. This project extends the existing model by engaging 240 urban and rural high school juniors and seniors from the five schools in the pilot of an on-the-job STEM skill development program with direct linkages to the manufacturing sector. Participants in the program will be able to utilize the knowledge and skills acquired during the apprenticeship in pursuing advanced studies in higher education or proceeding directly to a career. The model is based on the hypothesis that utilizing a comprehensive approach of mentoring, soft skills development, credential attainment, college coursework, and paid work-based internships; the program will increase the success of participants and motivate them to pursue a STEM-focused career. The research associated with testing this hypothesis and model will be guided by five questions: 1) How do partnerships and business/industry professionals serve to engage and motivate participants to become interested in STEM careers? 2) To what extent does each of the interventions (mentoring, soft skills, development, credential attainment, college coursework, and paid work-based internship) motivate, engage, prepare, and support participants to pursue STEM education and careers? 3) What design factors play a role to engage participants in experiential learning in STEM using advanced IT? 4) How does the program model further anticipated outcomes for the participants, including but not limited to STEM career competencies related to interdisciplinary-based knowledge and hands-on experience and practices, competency with advanced technologies, and 21st century/soft skills development? And 5) What external factors further anticipated outcomes for the interventions, including (a) partnerships and business & industry professionals, (b) mentors including other interventions central to the program, and (c) experiential learning in STEM, advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies? A mixed methods research approach using commonly used instruments to the extent possible will be used to pursue answers to the research questions. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.