Expanding the Technician Workforce through Independent Mechatronics Education Curriculum

An examination of regional workforce needs in Minnesota indicates there is high demand for mechatronics technicians. Mechatronics technician roles are expected to grow 4.1% in Minnesota from 2020-2030 and industry partners served by South Central College (SCC) continue to express difficulty filling open technician positions. The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (CHIPS Act) is investing billions to expand domestic semiconductor manufacturing, which will increase the demand for skilled mechatronics technicians even further.

To increase the nation's economic competitiveness and the regional supply of qualified technicians, SCC will expand its nationally recognized Independent Mechatronics Education Curriculum (iMEC) program to new rural and underserved regions of Minnesota. The project will enhance cross-disciplinary mechatronics technician training that integrates computer technology skills to prepare students for emerging "smart factory" manufacturing environments.

These efforts directly support the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 by expanding the STEM talent pipeline. The project will increase access to technical education and careers for high school students through dual-credit enrollment pathways. It will also advance critical thinking and problem-solving skills through real-world troubleshooting experiences between college and high school partners.

Ultimately, the project intends to increase the number of highly-skilled, work-ready mechatronics technicians that enter the workforce.

The project goal is to increase the number of multi-skilled technicians entering the mechatronics field in Greater Minnesota through the expansion of accessible pathways for secondary and post-secondary students and the enhancement of curricula and hands-on equipment. Three primary objectives will be addressed through this work. First, the project will focus on expanding career pathways for rural and underserved communities, specifically, the Native American population in Minnesota.

This will be done by establishing iMEC courses at two community colleges and four high schools in rural northern Minnesota that directly serve these populations. Second, the project will support enhancing the iMEC curricula and related iREAL [hands-on] trainers to address topics and skillsets related to Industry 4.0, the Internet of Thing (IoT), the CHIPS Act and semiconductor industry.

Curricula will be enhanced through collaboration with regional industry partners and integration of new technologies, such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and other automation controllers that support emerging "smart factory" environments and technologies like the Internet of Things. To advance critical thinking and problem-solving, a capstone troubleshooting experience between college and high school partners will be implemented where students document solutions and share data to inform future curriculum.

Finally, the project will provide professional development opportunities for post-secondary and secondary partners with an emphasis on understanding and implementing the iMEC pathways. Two four-day professional development workshops will be hosted to support learning about the course curricula and related labs and give hands-on experience with the iREAL trainers.

The project's external evaluator will track progress on goals and objectives and will provide formative feedback over the three-year initiative. Results will be disseminated by project PIs at related conferences and through published articles. Ultimately, the project will increase pathways to technical careers and produce work-ready technicians for the regional workforce.

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.