College of Central Florida Aquatics Workforce and Research Project

College Of Central Florida, Ocala FL

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by creating a technician-level training pathway for community college students who are interested in careers in water conservation, ecology, and agricultural engineering through an NSF Advanced Technical Education (ATE) Track 2 project. Florida’s aquatic ecosystem presents a distinct local workforce demand and learning opportunity, with a variety of under-publicized entry points that do not require a four-year degree. The project will advance understanding of how community colleges can provide associate-level students field-based technical training with real-world applicability for positions in state water management agencies, as well as environmental and agricultural settings. Few associate-level STEM students participate in high-quality, high-impact field experiences, internships, and research. In aquatic disciplines, the invisibility of entry-level pathways means that technician-level work is being conducted by individuals who hold a four-year degree or conversely, whose only post-high school training has been completed on-the-job. Changing this paradigm to effectively address workforce needs will require technical training programs and aquatics employers to actively develop new intermediate-level training and employment pathways. Through partnerships with area high schools, the project has the potential to engage underrepresented minority students who have an interest in and aptitude for the unique workplace settings where aquatic research occurs, thereby broadening the diversity of entry into Florida’s technical workforce. By supporting paid internships and research-based field experiences, the project will train students with an interest in technical careers with real-world skills that prepare them to enter the workforce. The goal of the 36-month project will be to engage at least 150 associate-level students and 100 high school juniors and seniors in hands-on learning about aquatics careers through course-based field experiences, internships, research activities, and career exploration about technical occupations where water quality technical skills are in high demand. The project objectives are to: (1) increase technical skills for at least 130 associate-level students in data analysis, geospatial technology, and water quality assessment by developing and piloting a new interdisciplinary course, Global Change: Freshwater Ecology and Sustainability; (2) provide industry-aligned research, internships, and field work for 48 associate-level students, to prepare them to enter Florida’s technician level aquatics workforce; and (3) expand the recruitment pathway into aquatic ecology associate-degree programs through targeted outreach to local high schools, including those serving rural and underrepresented minority students, through a dual enrollment program in environmental science serving 60 students, as well as outreach and field-based technical education for an additional 30 students. The project will include an independent evaluation of how research-grounded and field-based technical education can effectively support graduates to advance into the workforce, and to disseminate findings and lessons learned among ATE grantees, technical education programs, and aquatic industry leaders to promote new avenues for building a well-trained technical workforce. This project is funded by the ATE program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. 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.