Innovative Model to Augment Technician Education for Manufacturing in the 21st Century

To be successful in the economy of today, industry requires multi-skilled technicians who possess both technical and non-technical skills. To address this need, this project at Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC) in Virginia is designed to develop an innovative model to augment technician education with competencies that blend essential technical and non-technical skills and expand awareness of 21st century manufacturing. The model is in alignment with an advanced manufacturing competency model available through the U.S. Department of Labor that documents the skills and competencies required for workplace success in advanced manufacturing industries. The blended model for technician education will be utilized in the new Associate of Applied Science degree program in Advanced Integrated Manufacturing Technology (AIMT) at the college that was developed with industry partners to address an industry defined need for multi-skilled technicians in advanced manufacturing as well as in other technician education programs at the college and will result in students entering the workforce with 21st century skills. Expanding awareness of 21st century manufacturing will ensure that new talent is attracted to manufacturing to address the critical need for multi-skilled technicians. 

Through collaboration with regional manufacturers and community partners, the goal of the project will be achieved through: 1) development of courses and modules that integrate non-technical competencies with technical content and 2) expansion of awareness of technical advancements and career opportunities in manufacturing through outreach activities to groups of potential students who may not have considered manufacturing as a career including high schools and veterans groups. With support of a planning grant provided in 2013 by the Virginia General Assembly, and several other regional studies conducted between 2011 and 2013, the college documented employer hiring needs for advanced manufacturing within the region. The AIMT program contains essential elements modeled after the ATE and NASA SpaceTEC program (DUE 1303935) that organizes students into cohorts that enter and progress through the program together and integrates academic instruction with rotating co-op/internship at multiple job sites under the supervision of subject matter experts (SMEs). An extensive evaluation is planned to determine the impact on worker performance of incorporating instruction on specific non-technical workplace competencies such as team building and diversity into the technician education program. The knowledge and application of non-technical competencies of students will be evaluated by comparing the non-technical competency and job performance of students in a cohort that did not receive the non-technical instruction with those of students in cohorts that receive that instruction. Activities can be replicated and integrated into advanced manufacturing degree programs and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) technician education programs offered at community colleges throughout the country. Materials highlighting the technical advancements of 21st century manufacturing and career opportunities will be developed and shared widely with secondary and post-secondary institutions and other stakeholders through the college website and social media outlets. The new model of technician education and promotional materials will be showcased through ATE Central, TeachingTechnicians.org, presentations at professional meetings, and web based communications.