NSF 22-059 DCL (Ocean Technical Workforce Education) Building an Ocean Technology Workforce Utilizing Microcredentials

Demand is growing for technically skilled workers across multiple sectors within the marine industry (research, renewable energy, fisheries, ports/shipping, infrastructure, national security, tourism, etc.), but the current US academic system is not well equipped to educate students with the required skills. This award to the Marine Technology Society (MTS) supports a workforce preparation effort that will develop a series of stackable micro-credentials and create accessible and flexible pathways to learning and vocational training.

The micro-credentials will address core competencies required for employment in the ocean/marine/blue economy and capture learners entering the workforce or those seeking to apply skill sets acquired during military service. The credentials will offer acknowledgement of skills acquired “on the job” and will function as a vehicle for employment retraining.

Members of the MTS represent several sectors (industry, government, military, and academia), and the collective experience within the Society membership, in partnership with academic faculty from the Rutgers University Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences and from Northwestern Michigan College, will identify core competencies required for employment in the ocean/marine/blue economy, create a micro-credential training program, video hands-on training activities, make the curriculum available on-line, and create a "badging" system. The MTS Micro-credentials Program will allow learners to customize their education path to gain the credentials necessary for their specific career aspirations.

The Micro-credential material will be pilot tested with groups of students, evaluated and final materials will be available on line. Curriculum will be developed and tested during one-week immersive technology camps offered to students at Rutgers and Northwestern Michigan College. The hands-on activities and presentations at both camps will be filmed for online distribution.

The team will create a total of six credentials, including basic credentials in 1) Underwater Gliders; 2) Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs); 3) Sonar; and 4) Deck Operations, and two more advanced micro-credentials in: 5) Underwater Gliders, and 6) Sonar. This program will provide a total of forty undergraduates with technical training and access to mentors.

The experience will provide a useful introduction to marine technology fields and open doors to potential employment. If successful, the project will result in an expandable micro-credentialing program for the marine technical workforce. The program will also be promoted with employers to ensure that the Micro-credential system opens doors to employment and is eventually self-sustaining.

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.