California Regional Consortium for Engineering Advances in Technological Education (CREATE)

The California Regional Consortium for Engineering Advances in Technological Education (CREATE) project is part of the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program. The goal of this ATE Regional Center is to address the demonstrated high demand for renewable energy technicians in southern and central California as a multi-County consortium. The center has objectives in five areas: 1) the development and refinement of modular in-class, on-line, and hybrid renewable energy curricula integrated into degree pathways concentrating on the areas of wind and solar photovoltaic and thermal technologies and energy efficiency and management that are tied to industry skills standards and certifications; 2) development and implementation of a technical teacher professional development program in renewable energy which will allow community college, high school teachers, and industry professionals recruited to be teachers to acquire the technical knowledge and certifications and pedagogical skills to teach renewable energy in their classrooms; 3) develop and implement a 2+2+2 pathway through partnership with high schools and universities to allow students interested in renewable energy careers to have a defined career ladder with multiple exit points integrated with industry certifications and college certificate and degree attainment; 4) conduct continuous assessment and evaluation with imbedded targeted research of curricular and professional development strategies to ensure that student, faculty, and industry goals are attained; and, 5) disseminate both the products and the partnership process to maximize the impact both regionally and nationally. On the site, visitors will find more information about the project, its partners, and further resources and links.