Fast-Track to Success: Bridging the CTE and Higher Education to Empower Students for Immediate Career Opportunities in Technical Education (CTE & HE)

Electrical/Electronics Technology is essential to the national industry. Yet, there is a lack of collaboration or known partnerships among secondary and higher education institutions to create career pathways that offer dual enrollment and articulate these types of workforce development in the electrical/electronics technology fields. This project proposes assembling a collaborative community consisting of Canyon Crest Academy, MiraCosta College and Palomar College, and California State University, San Marcos to create a pathway for students into the electrical/electronics technology industry. By developing a three-course series to educate high school, community college, and university students, this initiative will provide a fast-track pathway for workforce-ready preparation at each educational level. The four institutional partners will seek to address the local demand for skilled electrical engineering technicians in North San Diego County by teaching hands-on laboratory experiences and aligning curricula across educational levels to optimize resource use and instructor mentoring. This approach not only increases internship and job opportunities for students but also fosters a sense of belonging and community among participants. The project's intellectual merit lies in its adaptive learning environment and focus on fast-track education in critical areas such as digital electronics, LabVIEW, and artificial intelligence in lower division courses of electrical engineering. At the same time, its broader impacts include the development of a regional technical education community between two-year and four-year educational institutions, improved peer mentoring, and enhanced student engagement in their chosen fields. 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.