Expanding Pathways and Support for Transportation Technology Education and Careers at an Urban Minority Serving Institution

This Community College of Philadelphia ATE project will redesign outreach and recruitment strategies to attract, recruit and enroll more female students in the Transportation Technologies (T-Tech) programs. This will create a “Learn and Earn” approach to successfully close the gender gap for women in technology and train and place more technicians into sustainable employment.

As a designated Minority Serving Institution and Predominantly Black Institution where the majority of students are low-income; this project focuses on supporting the completion of short-term training and work-based learning experiences where students can earn higher wages and advance within their chosen career path while still enrolled in school. This project has the potential to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in STEM majors and STEM fields while encouraging more women to choose career paths that provide higher wages and growth potential.

This project will advance knowledge and understanding within T-Tech education and technical STEM education through an integrated approach that synergistically addresses industry and student needs. Program design accesses both college and industry resources and expertise to provide a program for students that effectively supports them from enrollment through completion and transition to sustainable jobs in the workforce, meeting industry needs for entry-level and advanced technicians.

This ATE project is designed to broaden the participation of women in the T-Tech program and support all enrolled students both academically and professionally as they complete the program. In partnership with the National Institute for Women in Trades, Technology & Science (IWITTS), the Community College of Philadelphia will engage more female students in T-Tech and create recruitment, retention, and job placement plans that can be replicated and scaled to improve overall student success in STEM.

This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the Nation's economy.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.