MCCETI Summit
Partnership: The Key to Success
Roundtable Discussions

1. Your group has a new science and technology issue to address. Please spend time defining the issue by identifying elements that help understand it. (10 min)

Current demand and demand in the future:
Demand for workers to fill:

• Life cycle of skills
• More science based: Physics, Chemistry and Math - college requirement
• Different way to approach mathematics courses - incorporate real world into it.
• Core requirements for rapid "retooling" of work-based learning.
• Spend time on project-based learning. (Industry demand enters here)
• Integration of disciplines - to allow students to specialize in different things.
• Integrate mathematics in a different fashion, so they can switch around.
• Core skills that allow rapid "retooling"
• Teach application skills - engineering skills, ability to communicate, problem solving, General education, special technical skills
  Do they have the skills they need to learn?
• Have a balance between education and training - be responsive to employers. Be careful not to get so specific, so skills can be transferred to the workforce.

  Education: basic skills, general education
  Training: technical skills
  
  Flexibility that core skills teach students to be learners. Core transferable skills, so
  they can move from one thing to another.
  
  Issue:
  1. What does student need (core) - what does the student enter the system (assessment)
  2. Invite industry in projects, job shadow, intern
  3. Life cycle issues - old/new technology
  4. Balance education and training
  5. Teach students to learn
  6. What are the core skill sets?

2. What information/research related to this new science and technology issue will be helpful and where might this be found? (8 min)

Information

• Web pages
• Advisory board
• Survey
• Professional development
• Your experience/culture/diversity
• Generations
• Conferences
• What information will be needed?
• Look back and forward - K-12
• What programs are there for drop-out students - for colleges?
• From academic/industrial partnerships
• How do we educate the public about nanotechnology?
• Accurate/simple learning tools

3. Identify challenges & opportunities related to this new science and technology issue. (10 min)

4. Based upon what you know, brainstorm strategies to address the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities related to this new science and technology issue. (15 min)

It takes too long: How can we make it take less time?

• Allow more continuous enrollment into courses, so you do not have to wait until January.
• Partner with industry
• Partner with your own workforce unit departments - prerequisites
• More partnering with credit/non-credit sides
• Realize that structures are not going to change, but learn to work with what you have (existing programs, courses, curriculum).
• Creative course scheduling
• Creative delivery
• Open exit, open entry - flexible start, flexible end
• Flexible lab
• Integrated courses

Vocational Education/Marketing:

• Two year schooling allows student to change to second associate degree instead of going for the more focused four-year degree (4year more specialized).
• Change the perception of ourselves. Excitement, hospitality, possibility. Lack of identity.
• Marketing - high schools, parents
• Back to college night
• Community college as a sponsoring industry
• Visits to schools
• Adapt to the environment
• ROI

Private Training/Contractors/Competition:

• Layout a path that is easy to see/rationalize
  

Strategy

• Incorporate the competitors into your structure - partner for core skills
• Clearly rationalize our path
• Support supply chain
• Integrate

5. Select the 3 more important strategies. (5 min)

Curriculum integration

Partnerships/Relationships

K-12
Supply chains
Colleges/Departments
Industry
Workforce initiatives
Government

Change perceptions based on facts:

Public perception of Community College
Job market/economy

6. Select the most important strategy for immediate action. (1 min)

Partnerships/Relationships

7. It is the year 2010. Each participant in your group receives a "hot-off-the-press" edition of World Today. The headline is a success story related to the new science and technology issue. Write the headline below. (2 min)

Michigan Leads the Nation in High Tech Education and Job Growth

Governor says, "We're ready!"
"Cool State"

8. Identify ways that this new science and technology issue discussion and recommended strategies can be pursued, continued and the volunteers who are willing to assist. (5min)

• Form an alliance among community colleges
• Liberal arts and faculty come together
• Form relationships
• Go to Intermediate School District meetings
• Establish a website to submit one best practice idea within the next 6 months.