MentorLinks: Advancing Technological Education, 2008-2010

MentorLinks, part of the Advancing Technological Education program supported by the National Science Foundation and administered by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), provides technical assistance and networking opportunities to improve community college programs that prepare technicians in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The program works with community colleges to establish connections for new ideas and relationships through networking opportunities at program meetings and national conferences, and to gain insight on building, improving, and sustaining new and existing programs. MentorLinks features professional development opportunities for community colleges, with a special emphasis on mentoring. Through a national grant competition, AACC selected nine community colleges and nine mentors working in diverse areas of technician education to participate in a two-year grant project beginning in October 2008. MentorLinks pairs community colleges seeking help with program development with an experienced mentor in their discipline. Mentors have strong credentials and extensive experience in planning and implementing advanced technology programs. Each college receives a total of $15,000 in direct funding for program development, and additional monies for travel support to attend national project meetings and conferences. The nine MentorLinks projects, which represent a diverse range of technical education, are developing new or strengthening existing programs in (1) biotechnology; (2) geospatial technology; (3) construction technology; (4) information technology; (5) welding technology; (6) energy efficiency and assessment; (7) renewable energy and (8) laboratory science technician training. With their mentors, these colleges work to develop curriculum, implement changes in ongoing programs to be more responsive to industry and employer needs, provide professional development programs for faculty and staff, recruit students, offer experiential learning opportunities to students, engage local industry and employers more closely with the colleges, increase recognition and program support among college administrators, and leverage additional funding. Their efforts, in just the first year of the program, have resulted in the creation of new courses, degrees, certificates, departments, industry partnerships, and workforce development programs. (Contains 6 web resources.)