NSF-ATE Principal Investigators Conference

The American Association of Community Colleges with the support of the National Science Foundation held the seventeenth national ATE Principal Investigators Conference, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC., on October 27-29. The conference brings together approximately 800 people to focus on the critical issues related to advanced technological education. Key people working on ATE projects across the country participate in the conference. Conference attendees represent community colleges, business and industry, secondary school systems, four-year colleges, and research and development centers covering projects in a wide variety of areas such as: information technology, engineering technology, micro- and nanotechnologies, chemical technology, biotechnology, and others.

I attended the conference representing the Medical Device Industry Education Consortium (MDIEC), led by St. Petersburg College. The MDIEC, which was established in 2005, was formed to develop and deliver industry-endorsed solutions that address critical industry-defined technical education and training needs. Representatives from the medical device industry are working with two-year colleges including Anoka-Ramsey Community College (Coon Rapids, MN), Edmonds Community College (Everett, WA), North Orange County Community College District (Anaheim,CA), and St. Petersburg College (Largo, FL), to providing education and training tailored for technicians involved in quality control, research & development (R&D), product development, manufacturing, biological/chemical analysis, compliance-related data management, clinical data management, clinical trials, and technology-related sales occupations.

Group Study Visit in Bremen, Germany

In the summer I led a Group Study Visit to Germany with five doctoral students in Career & Workforce Education. The purpose of the visit was to learn about the design and organization of the German workforce education system, which has set the historical standard in the field.

CWE@USF doctoral students experienced Germany as part of a Group Study Visit to learn about the German workforce education and development system. Daniel Cox (Volusia County Schools), Maniphone Dickerson (USF), Alexis McLaughlin (USF), Christina Smith (Chiefland High School), and Bill Underwood (Hillsborough Community College) participated as part of a special section of a Comparative Study of Career and Workforce Education Systems graduate course at USF.

The Group Study Visit was conducted through the University of South Florida Study a broad Program with partial support from a grant awarded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The visit was facilitated by the University of Bremen’s Institute of Technology and Education (ITB). Prof. Dr. Michael Gessler, Director of International Research in Vocational Education and Training led the support provided by ITB staff.

Beginning in July 8th, the study visit included an introduction to German history and culture of work in Hamburg, and an academic program in Bremen. The visit concluded on July 19th. Learn more...

2009 ACTER Conference in Nashville, TN

The Association for Career and Technical Education Research held the 2009 Annual Conference in Nashville, TN on November 17-19 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. ACTER is the premier organization representing researchers in the field of career and technical education. In collaboration with Dr. Johanna Lasonen, University of Jyvaskyla (Finland), conducted a poster session entitled, A Comparison of Technical Education Enrollment Patterns in Europe and the United States. The purpose of the session was to share the results of a comparative analysis of enrollment patterns in technical education and gauge the impact on workforce education in Europe and the U.S.

Scouting trip to Finland and Germany

My trip to Jyvaskyla, Finland, was very productive. I had meetings with researchers affiliated with the University of Jyvaskyla's Finnish Institute for Educational Research (FIER) and school officials in the area to learn about the organization of career and workforce education, PISA results, new directions in evaluation, teacher preparation, and adult education issues. Jysvaskyla is known as the "Athens of Finland" for its focus on education and the source of design innovation ideas as it is the home of Alvar Aalto, a renown architect who brought modernism to the world of architecture in the mid 1900s, NOKIA headquarters, and the first normal school in Finland.

I also had the opportunity to visit Helsinki and talk with policymakers of the National Board of Education (Lauri Kurvonen, picture on left) on the specifics of PISA results, reasons for student academic success, and connections to occupational preparation. I also interviewed researchers at the University of Helsinki who are using activity theory on the study of work-related situations as a means to inform curriculum development and instructional strategies in a variety of occupational contexts.

Dr. Johanna Lasonen was the most gracious host and the primary contact in Jyvaskyla. She and I drafted a potential seminar in workforce education designed for doctoral students interested in related topics under a comparative approach to learn about the success of Finland in public education and the connections to workforce education. Given the presence of FIER and the availability of affordable summer housing, this could be a great venue for a short study abroad in summer 2010.

My visit to Bremen, Germany, has also been very successful. The University of Bremen is the youngest of the German university system and it is the host of the leading research center, Institute of Technology and Education (ITB, acronym in German) with primary focus on vocational education and training. Historically, the German system of career and workforce education has been the gold standard for other countries and it was important to stop here and talk to professionals in the field as well. Bremen has been one of the major trading posts in the world in connnection to its sister city port Bremerhaven, and today it attracts many companies looking for a well-educated workforce including Mercedez Benz, Airbus, and others. The picture of the Town Hall is shown on the left.

Dr. Michael Gessler, Director of the International Vocational Education Research unit (and also Co-Director of ITB), was a great host along with Pekka Kamarainen (Senior Researcher). We discussed the possiblity of hosting a small doctoral group of students in summer 2010 and they were very receptive to the idea. We talked about the potential content and organization and the combination of informational meetings and site visits to companies located in the area including Mercedenz Benz. Bremen also represents a great site for a short study abroad in summer 2010. Student housing is available during the summer in the downtown area and the location in Germany makes Bremen a very affordable destination. Picture: Dr. Michael Gessler (left) and Pekka Kamarainen (right).

Bremen is an independent city state and is rich in history. For anyone interested in learning about the historical development of one of the most dynamic economies in the world heavily rooted in trade, work, politics, and education, Bremen offers a glimpse of the German spirit.

The final location for the short study abroad in summer 2010 will come down to cost as these two venues offer what we are looking for a comparison of workforce education systems in the context of socioeconomic factors and conditions in the midst of a global economy.