This study examined the processes and structures that allow centers to have an impact on advanced technological education after their grant funding ended.  The goal of the study is to provide new centers guidance in planning for sustainability early in their work.

The findings draw from interviews, archival documents and public information about ten ATE centers. Six of these centers have concluded grant funding, three are included because their partnership approach is so unique and one was included because it is a successor to a prior center. The following themes guide the report:

Partnerships

All centers require strong partnerships, especially with industry, to fulfill their mission. Partnerships have different purposes and can change based on the evolution of the work. Types of partnerships and their bennefits include:

• A community of practice may bring together groups of individuals to build capacity as educators, often sharing knowledge and skills.  
• Partnerships with professional organizations can accelerate scaling.
• Individual strategic partnerships may be with other colleges that utilize curricular or training materials developed through the center, with organizations that fulfill niche services or with individuals who provide key consulting activities.  
• Industry partnerships, by ensuring technical education is relevant and timely, support the development of curricular materials, internships and advisory services. 
• Partnerships within the ATE community exchange new innovations, practices and resources.

Team formation

The right project team is essential at all stages of the work. Efforts may be initiated by industry, academics, or nonprofits. As the work evolves, so might the team. In many cases, the individuals that set the initial vision step back as those that can facilitate implementation move into higher levels of leadership.  Additionally, the scope of work may evolve in a manner that shifts the balance of commitment and/or sense of ownership. 

Leadership characteristics

ATE Centers rely on strong leadership. In addition to grant management responsibilities, leaders are tasked with steering the center, often through a constantly changing ecosystem. Several leadership characteristics and skills emerged that promote sustainability. Each center leader must be a champion of the educational mission, build and nurture relationships, and implement the grant. The balance of the leader's focus will vary based on the current phase or circumstance surrounding the grant. 

Creating an independent organization

Sometimes sustaining an initiative means creating a new, independent organization. Knowing if and when to move to independence depends greatly on the relationship to the home institution including the alignment of mission, the revenue structures and the leadership structures in place versus those needed moving forward.

The role of the National Visiting Committee and the use of data and external evaluation

The National Visiting Committees (NVC) are used to help set strategic directions for the centers. A review of the center's strengths and challenges contextualized against current economic conditions. NVCs are particularly valuable in considering scaling and sustaining innovations of the center.  External evaluation also offers an independent perspective. The evaluation findings can help a center pivot in response to contextual changes, create alignment between partner organizations and provide external perspective.

There were several products that came out of this work:

• Case reports detailing the structures and processes that facilitated sustainability at each of the the sites 
• A comprehensive report report articulating the themes across centers
• Resource sheets to guide conversations among existing teams when thinking about sustainability related to each of the themes
• Blog posts
• Live and recorded presentations for the annual ATE PI meetings
• An Office Hour session with ATE Central. 

An additional and related study was conducted in the final project year to understand how the organizational structures and processes that lead to sustainability were expressed during COVID. Interviews with current center and project representatives including evaluators were held to understand what pivots they made due to COVID. After initial closures at the start of the pandemic, most centers and projects were able to pivot in support of their grant-funded goals. For example, as professional development activities moved online, content delivery was recorded and stored for future use and other materials were revised for digital use. This has resulted in a library of resources which participants can access prior to PD, or as needed for refreshers. Time spent synchronously was shifted to be more collaborative and interactive. In other cases, the disruption of the pandemic allowed projects to take risks in how they offer their services with support from previously cautious boards. For example, offering remote certification exams or creating virtual reality environments for research presentations. Finally, projects were able to increase their expertise as they brought in new academic, industry and other professional representatives to workshops, classrooms and community events at a reduced cost and the elimination of travel burdens. An emerging challenge as the country begins to relax safety precautions is the inconsistencies in policies between states and institutions particularly related to travel.