BEGINNINGS: Leveraging Applied Learning to Unlock Careers in Emerging Technology Fields

Information technology and advanced manufacturing are increasingly requiring emerging technical skills and the next decade is expected to spur more technological progress than experienced over the past century. Future jobs will mirror this trend, with growth in emerging technology fields in the targeted sectors projected to increase at twice the rate of other occupations nationally.

The changing nature of work in both industries will drive the need for substantial retraining and upskilling to meet employer demand and will add new jobs in fields that have not yet fully taken shape. As well, intentional strategies are needed to increase diversity in these talent pipelines. To address current and future workforce needs, Grand Rapids Community College’s Schools of Workforce Development and STEM will collaborate to provide experiential learning and co-curricular activities that increase interest in, and access to, career pathways in emerging technology fields for individuals from diverse professional and educational backgrounds.

Industry partners will be engaged to design and deliver a continuum of experiential learning activities that complement current curricula and meet participants where they are in their career trajectory. The project’s evaluation will culminate in a catalogue of experiential learning and co-curricular activities to inform best practices for engaging diverse learners in STEM careers in emerging technology fields.

The project will prepare diverse cohorts pursuing occupational training and degree-seeking pathways for information technology and manufacturing careers in emerging technology fields. Current curricula will be expanded via experiential learning and co-curricular opportunities. Experiential learning offerings will include job shadows, co-ops, work-based coursework, project-based learning, rotational micro-internships, traditional internships, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and research experiences.

Co-curricular activities will center on academic and social support, career exploration, and job preparation to support viable on-ramps and off-ramps to careers. The project will also provide access to wraparound support and high-impact mentoring with a dedicated success coach. The project will contribute to a talent pipeline that evolves with intentionality to meet the needs of employers by combining access to meaningful experiential learning for skill development and co-curricular activities to increase socialization with peer and professional communities.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) instruction will be embedded in the project via professional development for employers (e.g., hiring managers, frontline supervisors, mentors) and faculty. This project aligns with the NSF ExLENT Program, funded by the NSF TIP and EDU Directorates, as it seeks to support experiential learning opportunities for individuals from diverse professional and educational backgrounds to increase their interest in, and their access to, career pathways in emerging technology fields.

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.