DAY 12: STEM Weekend: featuring College of DuPage
Let’s Not Forget Technicians in the Technology of STEM
This article, written by College of DuPage’s Bob Clark, Assistant Professor of the HVACR program, is featured in the NEMA Currents, a blog of the electro industry. Professor Clark emphasizes how the skilled workforce in America is changing and how the demand for skilled workforce jobs is growing at a fast pace as workers are being displaced by technology and the wave of retirements. During this substantial shift, technician careers is an area of education that requires more federal marketing and support. Technicians are in high demand for every industry. In technology education, there is currently not enough emphasis to influence and educate our youth about these exciting, high-demand careers. As our economy evolves towards automation and energy efficiency, we will need more support in terms of marketing technician careers through Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs.
The College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn is working with their local workforce boards to develop a cohort model technician training program for maintenance workers. The College is also developing a marketing and recruitment campaign to build awareness for this field in the community K-12 schools.