Non Technical Summary
McLennan Community College seeks funding to design a training program for agri-environmental technicians.This project is rooted in the pressing need to address environmental challenges within the state and local area due to population growth as well as meet regional priorities to increasepositions in agribusiness. This training would prepare learners for entry-level, skilled fieldwork to support professionals in resource and wildlife management and environmental evaluation. The primary audience isindividuals working in lower-skilled, entry-level positions in agriculture or related fields looking to move into higher-skilled positions. Secondary audiences include corporate training/employee upskilling, recent high school graduates looking for higher-skilled positions in agriculture and related fields, and those currently working in agriculture looking to gain additional knowledge, especially related to monitoring and data analysis. Training will cover topics such as soil and water quality, resource conservation, environmental monitoring, and the fundamentals of sustainable agriculture practices. Soft skill development in communication, teamwork, and decision-making will also be addressed. Training modules will be developed by subject matter experts on staff with a heavy focus on hands-on learningusing the college's 198-acre Highlander Ranch. The first year of thistwo-year projectis for curriculum development. The second year tests the curriculum with a small cohort of 10 learners.Throughout the two years, project staff will meet periodicallywith the advisory committee and external evaluator for updates and input. During the curriculum development stage, project staff will review similar training programs at other institutions for instructional ideas and best practices. The long-term outcomes are to have a training certificate that can be embedded into the college's current and proposed credential offerings, the creation of a pipeline for graduates to employment, an increase in the skill level of existing workers related to monitoring and data analysis, and an increase in agriculture and environmental science-related careers.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
001	0001	0001	10%
111	0210	2061	30%
102	0199	2050	20%
903	0799	1060	30%
136	0850	3030	10%

Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships; 136 - Conservation of Biological Diversity; 111 - Conservation and Efficient Use of Water; 001 - Administration; 903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
0850 - Wildlife habitats; 0799 - Rangelands and grasslands, general; 0210 - Water resources; 0199 - Soil and land, general; 0001 - Administration;

Field Of Science
0001 - Administration; 2050 - Hydrology; 1060 - Biology (whole systems); 2061 - Pedology; 3030 - Information and communication;

Goals / Objectives
Theshort-term goals are to have faculty fully credentialled in the NC3 Trane Data Analytics certifications within the first six months and purchase the safety and testing equipment. Mid-term goals are to have drafts of curriculum and testing materials developed, incorporate the safety and testing equipment into the curriculum, test the curriculum, identify and ameliorate deficits, and identify a pool of students for the pilot. The long-term, major goals are to design a training program that producesstudent skill improvement in the specified areas, incorporate this training into proposed and current workforce/continuing education certificationprograms, receive overwhelmingly positive feedback on skill developmentfrom program completeremployers, increase interest in environmental science and agricultural careers in the local and regional areas, increasecredential attainment in current agriculture students, and create a pipeline for credential completers into local industry.

Project Methods
Our intent is todesign and pilot an agri-environmental technician training program during a two-year period. The first year of the project is focused on identifying the specific training needs, creating content, and developing training materials. The second year is piloting the program on a small cohort of learners and evaluating content, materials, and processes. During the project's first month, the original grant advisory committee will convene with additional invitations being extended to Brazos River Authority, Texas Parks & Wildlife, Brazos Environmental & Engineering Services, Inc., and the external evaluator to discuss the project and re-evaluate the previous needs assessment forbeneficial updates.?Initially, related programs from other colleges/universities will be analyzed to identify common subject themes and best practices. This allows the final subject areas to be identified for experts to begin developing instructional content. Those faculty without NC3 Trane Data Analytics Certifications will complete the required training within the first six months of year one. At the mid-point of year one, the advisory committee will meet for updates and an opportunity to view the early drafts of instructional materials. The final decisions and elements related to the pilot test will be solidified near the end of year one. By the end of the first year, learners will be recruited for the pilot based on suggestions from the content specialists, which are also active faculty members, and the advisory committee. The pilot program begins at the start of the project's second year. The formative assessments of training materials and the overall program will occur towards the mid-point of year two. The summative assessment of the pilot will be completed by the last quarter of year two. The last stage will include evaluation of program results, discussions with the advisory committee and modifications to program content based on these results.