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Hands-on projects inspire kids, newspaper articles catch parents’ attention

Sierra College Workforce Development and Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT) is inspiring young people to consider careers in product design, engineering, technology and manufacturing by offering hands-on projects at schools in Placer and Nevada counties.

After a recent build in Grass Valley, the Tech-Explorer catapult project was featured in the Union newspaper. Kids catapult into learning College program eyes local work force

To spread the word, Sierra College has used press releases describing the goals of the program:

For Immediate Release December 16, 2008 #62

Contact: Sue Michaels/Diane Wright, Sierra College Marketing/Public Relations 916-660.7272, 916-630-4535(fax) smichaels@sierracollege.edu

Lincoln High School students apply math skills to building catapults

Sierra College STEM grant introduces education path to highly-paid, technical careers

ROCKLIN -Students in teacher Ellen Byron’s Honors Algebra II and Pre-Calculus classes will measure, cut and manipulate metal on industrial power tools to manufacture parts and build catapults from 10:45AM to 3PM on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at Lincoln High School located at 790 J St. in Lincoln, CA. Learn about the project at: http://www.sierracollegetraining.com/techexp_program.php

A former Industrial Engineer, Byron is excited about offering this project. “Building the catapult will give students a glimpse into ‘What can we do with the math we learn?’” said Byron. “In careers like engineering, it is so exciting to think of a concept and then turn it into reality. Many of these students are so focused on the academics that they don’t realize all the great career choices that math and science can provide. Through this project, I hope some sparks will fly in their minds and open their imaginations to many technical career choices.”

According to Sandra Scott, Director of Workforce Development for Sierra College, the hands-on Tech-Explorer catapult project engages students and makes academic studies more relevant. “Project-based learning allows students to apply what they are learning in the classroom to real skills used in the workplace,” said Scott. “This project introduces students to local, highly paid in-demand careers such as technicians, product designers and engineers.”

Sierra College won a Science Technology Engineering & Math (STEM) grant from the California Community College Chancellor’s office to bring short-term, turn-key applied academic projects that meet State of California secondary education standards into middle and high school classes.

STEM careers are in demand reports Nicholas Terrell for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in STEM Occupations http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2007/spring/art04.pdf. The report shows that “STEM workers earned about 70 percent more than the national average in 2005, accord­ing to BLS” and the average wage for STEM occupations in 2005 was $64,560 compared to $37,870 for all occupations. (pg. 29 BLS Occupational Outlook Quarterly Spring 2007)

The BLS recommends: “Prepa­ration should begin in high school, with coursework and extracurricular activities focusing on honing problem-solving skills. … Students interested in a STEM career should get started in high school by taking as much math and science as they can. Even those who struggle in these subjects during school can succeed on the job; with persever­ance, many people who may have had difficulty with early math or science classes can later thrive in a STEM career.” (pg. 30 BLS)

The mission of the Workforce Development Division is to deliver flexible learning opportunities that produce change. For more information, go to www.sierracollegetraining.com or contact Sandra Scott, Sierra College Workforce Development at (916) 781-6244.

Sierra College STEM Grant attracts middle school students to Tech Careers

The Sierra College Tech-Explorer catapult project that introduces students to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math was reported in a brief in the 10-24-08 Sacramento Business Journal page 29 under Business Notes.

The press release » 10/13/08 Sierra College offers relevant technical education to Roseville middle school explains the project and lists several sources for career information.

From the release: According to Sandra Scott, Director of Workforce Development and Continuing Education at Sierra College, “Our vision is to engage all students in applied learning and interest them in pursuing the classes now, in high school and later at Sierra College that can lead them to rewarding technical careers.” She explained that if middle school students can grasp abstract concepts by applying them to a project that is relevant to them, they may be more motivated to take math, science, computer, design, robotics and other technical courses. “Developing their interest now, in middle school, can give them an edge in determining their future,” said Scott.