Institution and Community Wide Approach to Engineering Workforce Development

Abstract

he following pages overview the models and approaches to workforce development that are used at the Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR), a group 5 NASA URC, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Programs aimed at developing a larger, more diverse and effective engineering workforce are able to find motivation through links between the number of scientists and engineering graduating in the United States each year and patents, entrepreneurship and economic development, as well as the potential to improve quality of life for those engineering graduates and the public they serve. If those inferences are coupled with the current state of education and the number of graduates in the United States, e.g. considering in the period of writing the National Academies Gathering Storm Report, the US fell from first to 16th in tertiary graduation rate then effective workforce development becomes increasingly important. The shifts in supply of the global workforce and the growth of global science and engineering (S&E) industries has diminished US S&E dominance and in turn reduces the comparative advantage in high tech production. The accumulative effects create issues for American industry and its workers, thus providing a federal, industry and academic incentive in developing an increased interest in S&E among youth and a more effective workforce development pipeline. The following pages describe processes, programs and approaches in place aimed at (i) stimulating K-12 and community interest in science and engineering, (ii) fortifying the career choice and bolstering workforce readiness of collegiate students through research, hands-on laboratories and academic learning, (iii) forming industry ties that translate to modern, practical learning in students and address current skills needed in the market place, and (iv) professional development to address communication skills, workplace behavior, licensing and certifications, and student placement.