2. Is Education the Answer ?
In today’s global, knowledge-driven economy, a
world-class education system is clearly
necessary for competitive success
It is not sufficient
A college degree is no guarantee of a good, secure
job
David Finegold, Dean, Rutgers’ School of
Management and Labor Relations
3. Community Colleges Play Central Economic
Role in the Changing Economy
“And I think that it is crucially important for us to reduce
the income inequality in this county. And I the way
that one has to do that, by any means that I can see, is
through education. And I must say to you, the
community colleges in this country have been in the
forefront of a major change in the quality of what we
are doing with respect to re-establishing skills.”
Federal Reserve Board Chairman
Alan Greenspan, Feb, 2004
4. U.S. Post-secondary Students
More than 70% of all post-secondary students
are non-traditional.
National Chamber of Commerce
Non-traditional
– Over the age of 23
– Independent of parental financial support
– Seeking additional training to enter workforce
5. Need for Change
Shift in the industry changes the type of
workforce
National trends in technician education
From traditional academic to include skills
From defined disciplines to cross disciplinary
From traditional classrooms to experiential
situations such as internships
6. ATE@20
Advanced Technological Education
• Mandate from US Congress in 1992
• Two-year college emphasis
• Focus on education of technicians
• High technology fields that drive economy
• Involves partnerships
– Academic
– Employers
• Career pathways
7. Bio-Link
NSF ATE National Center
Building a network that strengthen and
expand biotechnology technician education
at community and technical colleges to:
1. Enlarge and diversify the technician workforce
2. Meet industry’s growing needs for trained
technicians
3. Make high-quality training in all aspects of
biotechnology available to all students
8. Bio-Link Resources
Nearly 4,000 participated in Bio-Link workshops
All regions of nation for community college & high
school teachers, counselors, & industry
professionals. Impact on over 360,000 students
Website with Curriculum & Instructional Materials,
Listserv, job posting, career information
Faculty & student internships
Summer Fellows & BIO Conference
Industry instructors in many programs
$ 5 million in distribution of equipment & supplies
Lots of needs to meet & students at different points in career learning Hit some of the highlights Students can search by education level, area, and salary - Then look at boxes on bottom Videos - go to video slide
Change from one central place controlling what other ’ s could do to more of a democratic system, where programs could all participate Voices aren ’ t just speaking on the web site - we want everyone ’ s voices