Tech-4 Electronic Workforce Development System

An internationally-competitive US electronics industry requires a well-prepared workforce. Many community colleges and universities along the Central Florida "Interstate-4 corridor" (Tampa-Orlando-Daytona) work with industry to offer programming in the engineeringtechnology/electronics field; rapidly-evolving industry demands and increasingly-limited resources have led to the establishment of an education-business alliance known as the Tech-4 High-Technology Industrial Education Consortium. Tech-4 will utilize ATE funding and over $1million in substantially cash value industry match to enhance individualized institutional efforts to design and deliver a collaborative, replicable Electronics Workforce Development System that maximizes learning for secondary and lower-division students through coordinated sharing of industry and educational resources. Crossing the boundaries of three ATE areas (Curriculum and Instructional Materials; Teacher and Faculty Development; and Laboratory Development), eight modules focusing on different aspects of the electronics industry will be located across the region to serve as collaborative resource centers; instructional approaches will be based on the latest trends in pedagogy and content. Articulated courses and activities will be developed or modified (using the MATEC NSF ATE Center as a model) through extensive collaboration among education and industry representatives. Outcomes will include increased enrollment, retention, completion, and placement rates. Thousands of students, including a significant number of special population students, will be encouraged to pursue higher education studies through enhanced coursework and career awareness focusing on engineering/engineering technology careers at large manufacturers and smaller support service companies. Community college graduates may elect to immediately enter employment and/or upper division study. Secondary/community college instructors will increase their understanding of instructional relevancy through professional development.