The National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program seeks to improve the education of the nation’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) technicians. ATE regional centers work with community colleges and businesses to improve the effectiveness of education in one field of technology in order to help meet the current and future workforce demands of their local economies. This study examined the regional centers’ success in meeting these goals. CCRC found that centers were able to satisfy distinctive workforce needs that existed or arose in their region despite often complex relationships between employers and educational institutions.
This study was funded by the National Science Foundation.