FlexTech Automation Education Project

Recognizing the education and workforce opportunities for automation technicians in rural east central Illinois, the project team, in partnership with industry, will create two levels of certification in automation technology through the Applied Engineering Technology program at Lake Land College. The Automation Technician Specialist I and II certifications respond to the need for access to educational opportunities, materials, and resources and meet the demands for maintaining education-work-life balance for traditional and non-traditional students.

Importantly, the project addresses two major issues facing the region: 1) opportunities for careers right after graduation from high school, and 2) career advancement and retraining for incumbent workers. Project activities include 1) the development of a long-term recruitment plan to foster diversity in the program, workplace, and the field; 2) the development of new and revised curriculum for an automation technology program; 3) the creation of a set of one-credit hour courses and open lab sessions in collaboration with industry; 4) the establishment of an industry advisory council to ensure continuous updating of materials and resources per industry standards; and 5) the advancement of knowledge on providing educational opportunities, materials, and resources for traditional and non-traditional students.

The overarching goal of the project is to meet local industry need for skilled automation technicians. The project will (a) collaborate with local industries to develop a flexible curriculum based on industry input and standards that prepares students/workers; (b) implement effective open lab operations and processes; and (c) create a long-term recruitment plan that will build relations with local high schools and enable students to work with tools and automation starting at a young age, as well as recruiting incumbent workers who are seeking up-skilling opportunities.

The mixed methods evaluation is guided by a set of questions that are aligned with the goals, objectives, and activities of the project and that is specifically designed to document and assess both implementation (process) and outcomes. 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.