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1. process-based workforce DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEW ECONOMY

   Leigh, Nancey Green Kraft (July 2017, Economic development journal)

   Leigh and Kraft offer information on the Alabama Robotics Technology Park (RTP) which is a unique facility and public workforce development program that provides robotics training and research and development space to manufacturing firms and their employees in Alabama. The RTP originated out of recognition that cultivating a local robotics skill-base could fortify business attraction and retention efforts. They also discuss how the RTP differs from traditional workforce development models by focusing on an emerging technological process rather than an industry sector and address how the RTP aligns with existing statewide economic and workforce development programs and considers future implications for this model in a time of rapid technological change. 

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2. Impact of Peer-Assisted Learning and Leadership Development on Undergraduate Students

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--41968  

   Fogarty, Julie; Altman, Robin; Lundmark, Jennifer (August 2022, ASEE Conferences)

   With college advisory boards and potential employers consistently voicing their desire for engineers and scientists who can communicate well, work effectively in teams, and independently problem-solve, the Colleges of Engineering & Computer Science (ECS) and Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) at Sacramento State University, a large, public, primarily undergraduate institution, have deployed two programs to explicitly address these skills for undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students. The goals of the NSF-funded Achieving STEM Persistence through Peer-Assisted Learning and Leadership Development (ASPIRE) project are to increase retention and decrease time to graduation for STEM students, as well as increase retention of women and underrepresented minorities (URM) in the STEM workforce by implementing evidence-based practices to promote student success during two critical transitions: 1) from lower-division to upper-division coursework in engineering; and 2) from upper-division coursework to an entry-level STEM career. ASPIRE aims to achieve these goals by: 1) adapting and implementing the NSM Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) program in gateway engineering courses; and 2) developing the Hornet Leadership Program which includes scaffolded opportunities for students to explore their leadership capacity and develop leadership skills. The main research questions for this study include: (1) Will the ECS PAL model and Hornet Leadership Program result in increased persistence and workforce readiness in STEM majors at a large, diverse university? (2) What attitude changes will this project have on students and faculty and the relationships between them? The first question is addressed through pre- and post-implementation student surveys and student course/GPA data. The second question is addressed through faculty surveys, faculty focus groups/interviews, and pre- and post-data from a faculty professional development workshop. In general, preliminary results from this study indicate the new ECS PAL program successfully attracts URM students and thus has the potential to support their persistence and STEM workforce readiness. Additionally, undergraduate students across both Colleges who participated in the inaugural Hornet Leadership Program gained non-technical skills and experiences directly linked to competitiveness and preparation for workforce entry and graduate programs. Finally, faculty surveys and the faculty professional development workshop indicate that faculty value student leadership development, but identify barriers to accomplishing this work. 

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3. Enhancing Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Through Colorado-Washington Security Scholar Program

   Bai, Yan; Chang, Sang-Yoon; Lew, Ken; Wuthier, Simeon (January 2021, Journal of computing sciences in colleges)

   Colorado-Washington Security Scholars Program (CWSSP) is a scholarship program for training and educating cybersecurity engineering students. Hosted in two universities for the students in the cybersecurity degree programs, the cross-campus program emphasizes virtual teamwork and collaborations in learning cybersecurity and executing the cybersecurity projects. This paper explains how the CWSSP program uniquely enhances the cybersecurity education and workforce development particularly focusing on the mechanisms to incorporate collaborations for the student scholars' training and the outcomes of the collaborations. We share our experience and insights from delivering the scholarship program in this paper. 

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4. Education in a Remote World: Focus on Workforce Readiness

   Delahanty, C.; Genis, V.; Herring, S.; & Timby, T.A (July 2021, 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access)

   Bucks County Community College (Bucks) in collaboration with Drexel University (Drexel) is committed to increasing the number of workforce ready engineers and engineering technicians and to creating a blueprint for 2+2 engineering education programs nationally. Recently, educational reform took an unexpected turn to remote teaching due to the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic. Within our NSF ATE grant to enhance our present engineering technology curriculum we modified and enhanced instructional and student engagement methods to assure workforce readiness of our students in a remote world. Curriculum enhancements within the engineering technology (ET) occupational major at Bucks and the B.S. in ET degree program at Drexel, modifications to delivery of workforce development certification programs through the Bucks Center for Workforce Development (CWD), and college-wide student engagement strategies were implemented to assure quality education and student engagement. Modifications to credit courses included asynchronous online courses, synchronous remote courses, and hybrid courses, which combined remote and on campus laboratory instruction. Our CWD implemented hybrid instruction that included necessary resources for students such as tool kits and borrowed laptop computers. In addition, a college wide program called Bucks+ was implemented through the Bucks Business and Innovation Department to increase enrollment, retention, and workforce readiness of students. The Bucks+ program focuses on student engagement through competition within curriculum, and extracurricular endeavors that prepare students for industry. We will share our successes and challenges within our call to action to engage students in a remote world and to enhance their educational experience through innovative instructional techniques. 

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5. Applying Geospatial and Engineering Technology (AGET)

   Turk, J.; Sun, Y.; Panda, S.; Ignatius, A.; Urbach, B. (January 2020, 2020 ATE Principal Investigators' Conference, A Virtual Event)

   null (Ed.)

   The AGET project's goal is to improve the education of undergraduate technicians at UNG. Curriculum development, workforce development, and dissemination objectives were accomplished. An associate degree and certificate program in geospatial engineering technology (GET) were developed. An executive advisory board was formed with the support of local industry and government to support graduating students' transition to the workforce. Practicum development and presentation to local schools advanced GET knowledge and recruitment. An external evaluation supported and guided the project's success. 

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