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Creating Industry Experiences for Educators

CBIA was one of 60 institutions nationwide to be awarded a three-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. The grant, which is part of the NSF’s Advanced Technological Education program (ATE), targets community college and high school math, science and technology educators and offers them work-based learning opportunities specifically in manufacturing, engineering (including biomedical engineering) and information technologies. The program develops teacher “leaders” who will create programs in their schools that align with the skills needed in today’s economy.

     “There aren’t a lot of programs designed to give educators, particularly community college faculty, practical experiences in the business world, " says Lauren

“Even though we cannot prepare a student directly for the workforce with all the skills necessary, we should strive to teach the general workplace competencies that are common in all business and industry areas.”
 Alex Pesarik, Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Reg. Vocational Technical School

Weisberg Kaufman, CBIA vice president and director of the association’s Education Foundation. “CBIA’s grant proposal was attractive to the NSF because of the association’s business connections and the fact that the plan emphasized work-based learning for college teachers.”

     CBIA, in partnership with the Connecticut Community College System (CCCS), acts as the employer intermediary between businesses and participating educators and schools by offering work-based learning experiences, conferences, workshops, company visits and summer externships. Through these activities, CBIA has::

  • promoted business involvement to help meet state technology workforce needs; and
  • fostered closer collaboration between businesses, vocational technical schools, high schools and community colleges.

     In all, during the three years of the program, 41 teacher “leaders” were carefully selected to participate for two years. These teachers represented a wide spectrum of educational institutions and areas of expertise, but the common thread was their ability and willingness to help their students use real-world applications. (Click here for a complete listing of participating teachers.)

     The focal point of the program was a paid summer

“The two weeks at Boehringer-Ingelheim were very enjoyable. The first week we visited many labs, some of which we actually were allowed to view experiments in progress. The second week, I was able to actually perform lab experiments. I enjoyed the hands-on aspect of the experience. “
Karen Wosczyna-Birch, Ph.D., Tunxis Community College

externship (two weeks for college educators, one week for high school teachers). The teacher leaders then passed on their learning experiences to their students in the form of a curriculum project that reflected their industry experience. Following implementation of their projects, the ATE leaders summarized the student results, which were published online at www.ctcurriculum.org.

     “It’s not enough that these ATE leaders work at a summer externship,” says Mary deManbey, program manager, CBIA. “We really wanted them to take a leadership role in sharing their learning with their students through hands-on, practical projects that reflect the needs of today’s workforce. We believe that was accomplished. ”

     During the course of the program, the ATE leaders attended statewide technology conferences sponsored by CBIA, workshops, seminars, and company visits that introduced them to some of the latest technologies being used in the workplace.

     For more information about this program, contact Mary deManbey at CBIA or e-mail her at demanbem@cbia.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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