Bridging the Gap: Building Partnerships Between STEM Companies and Education
nConnect's mission is to inspire students to successfully explore rigorous academic subjects and embark on careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Our goal is to prepare them to become future leaders and innovators in the global economy. Through partnerships in the local community, we combine career related learning experiences (CRLEs) with active mentoring to support and sustain students as they discover and unlock their potential. We make learning relevant.
Sobre ti
Sobre ti
Nombre
Hahli
Apellido
Parvey
Sobre tu organización
Nombre de la organización
nConnect
Sitio web de la organización
Teléfono de la organización
360.718.1603
Dirección de la organización
805 Broadway Suite 412, Vancouver Wa 98660
País de la organización
Estados Unidos, WA, Clark County
Países en donde este proyecto está creando impacto social
Estados Unidos, WA
Tu organización es
OSC/ONG
¿Cuánto tiempo ha estado operando la organización?
Más de 5 años
Innovación
Título del Formulario de Inscripción
Bridging the Gap: Building Partnerships Between STEM Companies and Education
¿Qué cambios quieres traer al mundo?
nConnect's mission is to inspire students to successfully explore rigorous academic subjects and embark on careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Our goal is to prepare them to become future leaders and innovators in the global economy. Through partnerships in the local community, we combine career related learning experiences (CRLEs) with active mentoring to support and sustain students as they discover and unlock their potential. We make learning relevant.
¿Cuáles son las actividades principales de tu proyecto?
This project was developed to broaden the array of career related learning experiences (CRLEs) offered by nConnect to support students in pursuing and succeeding in more rigorous science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) coursework and to demonstrate the array of career options related to these subjects. Together, with our partners, we developed a web-based database, tools, and technical assistance infrastructure necessary to provide systematic way for linking CRLEs offered by employers to youth and teachers in middle school and high school. Using the web-based database, SW Washington schools and students are able to participate in CRLEs including guest speakers, company tours, mock and informational interviews, job shadows, internships, speed networking, academic competition judging, project advisors, and online career coaching. This project brings STEM industry and education together to address the workforce development needs of the community while helping students achieve their career goals.
¿Qué es innovador acerca de tu iniciativa? ¿Cómo es que es un nuevo aporte al campo?
nConnect is the only organization of its kind serving the three county area of Clark, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties in Washington State. Our self-serve database initiative serves as the bridge between schools and STEM industry. The focus is on building community relationships as a pathway to student success. This benefits students by providing relevance to their studies and enables them to develop relationships with role models from outside their school.
Research shows that exposure to the world-of-work helps form key behaviors necessary for career success, including planning for the future and setting goals, identifying resources, seeking information and feedback, and evaluating what works. Disadvantaged teens who are exposed to the work world in high school are more likely to remain in high school and have an easier time transitioning to the labor market upon graduation. “Investments in career-related experiences during high school can produce substantial and sustained improvements in the labor market prospects and transitions to adulthood of youth.” (MDRC study, 2008)
Our web-based database is a unique way for students to participate in career and education planning activities as well as connect with STEM professionals from companies in the local region. Providing these types of local connections supports a sustainable, local economy and promotes growth in our community.
¿En qué fase está el proyecto?
Operando menos de un año
Háblanos de la comunidad con la que estás trabajando, por ejemplo, sus condiciones económicas, las estructuras políticas, normas y valores, las tendencias demográficas, la historia y la experiencia con los esfuerzos de compromiso.
All three counties in nConnect’s service region are currently struggling with high unemployment rates that rank as among the highest in Washington state and significantly higher than the rates across the river in Oregon. Many families, who in the past were self-sustaining, are looking for financial support and worker-retraining to be competitive in today’s job market. Students of these families often carry additional responsibilities due to unemployed parents. The five school districts which use our online platform for CRLEs have an average of 48.4% of their students eligible for Free-or-Reduced-price lunch. In the top three districts in terms of usage of the volunteer system (Vancouver, Longview and Kelso), 51.3% are eligible. The state average for Washington is 41.3%.
We focus on STEM because of its acknowledged strategic importance for our future economic well-being and the preponderance of family wage jobs available to those who master STEM subjects.
Compartir la historia del fundador y lo que inspiró al fundador para iniciar este proyecto
This project was initiated by the Business, Education, and Workforce Development Partnership in SW Washington after identifying specific needs through engaging education and business partners about workforce needs and skill gaps. Two major findings resulted from these surveys:
1. SW Washington students do not perform well in STEM related academics. In the 2006-2007 school year, only 50% of 8th and 10th grade students passed the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), the state mandatory test in math. Science fared even worse; while 45% of 8th grade students passed the science WASL, only 36% of 10th grade students managed to pass the exam. Even the top performing students underperformed in STEM subjects. The PSAT predicted 13,669 Washington students to succeed in Advanced Placement (AP) calculus, but only 2,575 students achieved a passing score in 2007.
2. Employers are demanding more workers with STEM skills. Over 1,600 STEM job openings are projected every year in the region, but the region does not produce enough people with STEM skills to meet this demand. The pipeline issue persists across Washington State.
Employers want to help students and teachers understand the world-of-work in STEM fields, but there was no centralized or easy way to make connections – thus the idea of building a self-serve database to link education with STEM companies was formed.
Impacto social
Esta presentación se trata de
Describa cómo tu proyecto ha tenido éxito y la forma en que éste mide.
This project succeeded in creating a STEM database used to educate students and teachers about STEM careers, and to link learning with STEM industry professionals interested in offering CRLEs in the community. Over 587 students accessed a CRLE through the database during out pilot phase. More than 170 STEM related companies offering 256 individual CRLES are now active on the system. Now that we are entering into our first year of operation, we are using the database as the cornerstone of all our program offerings; this includes STEM internships for low-income youth, classroom mentors for AP science and math, and providing virtual career coaches to 12 regional high schools.
¿Cuántas personas han sido afectadas por el proyecto?
101-1.000
¿Cuántas personas podrían verse afectadas por el proyecto en los próximos tres años?
1.001-10.000
¿Cómo va a evolucionar tu proyecto durante los próximos tres años?
Over the next three years, our online database will be the cornerstone for the development of future nConnect programs providing CRLEs for students. We will be hosting an AmeriCorps member during the 2011-2012 school year, which will provide desperately needed added capacity. Once the platform has been populated with more community volunteers, the program will have an even more robust future, as it will be able to serve the needs of a greater variety of students.
Sostenibilidad
¿Qué barreras pueden dificultar el éxito de tu proyecto y cómo piensa resolverlas?
nConnect relies heavily on private sector leadership, especially from local high tech companies, to help develop policies and set direction. nConnect started this project with only one FTE who initiated project activities. Currently, nConnect has 2.5 FTE, and the business outreach manager handles the ongoing maintenance of the database and related activities with support from all nConnect staff members and the Executive Director.
As the project continues to grow a major barrier will be staffing. As additional needs are identified, service will increase. Funding is need to mange this increased need.
Cuéntanos sobre tus alianzas.
nConnect partnered with the Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council and 10 area high schools to implement the pilot project. This project greatly increased the scope of our services as well as the number of students nConnect can serve.
We also worked closely with Vancouver’s High Technology Council (HTC), nLight, a leading manufacturer of lasers, and Sharp have all provided leadership and support to this project since its inception. Through these partnerships, nConnect is able to promote involvement to many STEM companies in the region.
All of these partnerships are important to the success of this project.
Actual presupuesto anual en dólares americanos.
$250,001‐500,000
Explica tu selección.
The online database pilot phase was funded by a Department of Labor earmark. Funding going forward is a mixture of funds from the local Workforce Investment Board, foundations, fee-for-service, and corporate sponsorship.
¿Cómo se va a fortalecer tu proyecto durante los próximos tres años?
nConnect’s vision is to become a leading catalyst for educational change. We are convinced that it is only through a united community-wide effort that significant educational advances can be achieved. Low income students in particular require many different kinds of support to fully realize their potential. It is through these partnerships that will be able to strength our project and increase the number of students served.
We believe that we can play a pivotal role in improving student motivation, and thus learning, by providing students with relevant context for their studies and supportive relationships with mentors. We believe that it is only by feeding students’ intrinsic motivation in this way, that we will be successful in changing the course of education.
We focus on STEM because of its acknowledged strategic importance for our future economic well-being and the preponderance of family wage jobs available to those who master STEM subjects.
Partnerships and Accountability
Please tell us more about how your partnership was formed and how it functions. What specific role does each partner play? What unique resources does each partner bring to the initiative?
Our online platform is hosted by Career Cruising. Together with our funding partners (SWWDC) we developed a web-based database, tools, and technical assistance infrastructure necessary to provide a systematic way for linking CRLEs offered by employers to youth and teachers in middle school and high school.
The CRLEs were determined by school need and interest. nConnect then performed outreach to local businesses and individuals, targeting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) industries and occupations such as engineering firms, accounting, etc. nConnect worked closely with partners including SWWDC's board of directors, and the local one stop centers to identify target businesses. nConnect provided technical assistance to all participating businesses including took kits to help them perform CRLEs, and support with usage of the online tool.
The teachers were able to directly log onto the database to request community volunteers to deliver a CRLE to their students. All teachers using the system received training performed by nConnect in advance of being allowed to access the system. Training components included system usage, examples of projects that CRLEs would support, and volunteer usage best practices. nConnect found that teachers needed significant support in understanding how to use volunteers. To meet that need, nConnect developed modules of sample lesson plans and ideas for volunteer useage. nConnect also found that teachers needed help understanding how to make volunteers feel welcome and comfortable in their school. To that end, nConnect developed a toolkit of tips and strategies embedded in the system with prompts reminding teachers to give the volunteer directions, tell them about the students' ages and course of study, to send the volunteer a thank you note, etc.
Students interested in CRLEs were able to use the online tool to make a request routed through their school's project lead. This ensured professionalism of the request and student safety. Students were able to directly interact with online career coaches through a controlled discussion forum. Students accessed the database either through the tool's search function, or through general career exploration linked to the database.
How are you building in accountability for students' successful STEM learning outcomes? Please provide a summary and examples.
Our online platform enables us to very accurately monitor the impact of our programs over time; from setting up individual portfolios to participating in CRLEs, the system tracks student progress towards achieving national career readiness standards.
During the 2010-2011 school year, more than 580 students accessed a CRLE through the database. 70% of surveyed students who participated were interested in pursuing a STEM career.
Necesidades
Inversión, Marketing/Medios de Comunicación, Innovación/Ideas.
Please use this space to elaborate on your selection above and/or to add needs that may not be listed.
Offers
Investigación/Información, Colaboración/Redes, Innovación/Ideas, Asesoramiento.
Please use this space to elaborate on your selection above and/or to add offers that may not be listed.
 | 93 weeks ago Hahli Parvey updated this Competition Entry. |
| 94 weeks ago Hahli Parvey updated this Competition Entry. |
| 94 weeks ago Hahli Parvey submitted this idea. |