Intermountain Consortium to Advance Automation Technician Education

Automation technicians are needed across many industries and across many advanced-technology fields to secure U.S. dominance. Automation-dependent industries across the Intermountain West are growing fast, driving demand for skilled automation, industrial controls, robotics, and maintenance technicians. This project will increase regional capacity for automation technician education, improve the alignment of curricula with workforce needs, strengthen the expertise of educators, and advance the understanding of effective models for scaling technician education. The project will bring together secondary schools, technical colleges, universities, and industry partners to train the next generation of technicians for employment in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defense, food processing, energy, medical devices, semiconductors, logistics, and other technology sectors. The participating institutions will collaborate as a consortium to develop and spread effective resources quickly. In particular, they will share curricula, instructional resources, equipment, and professional development. This project aims to help close the workforce skills gap for automation technicians. Activities will include (1) conducting analyses of needed Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) with industry partners; (2) developing industry-aligned, performance-based assessments; (3) sharing low-cost training equipment through "Build-a-Trainer" workshops; (4) providing professional development for educators; (5) strengthening stackable credential pathways; and (6) fostering a community of practice to share knowledge. Formative and summative evaluation will investigate the effectiveness of the consortium model, and products and findings will be disseminated through ATE Central, conference presentations, workshops, implementation guides, and online instructional platforms. The project will advance understanding about how regional consortia can, with cross-sector partnerships, translate workforce needs into scalable technician education models that strengthen the nation's advanced-technology workforce. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program, which 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.