Progress 06/01/23 to 05/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:1. South Central College agriculture and mechatronics current and future students. 2. Area high school students and agriculture teachers: Medford, Lake Crystal Welcome Memorial, Maple River, Mankato East, and Sibley East. 3. BILT Team Industry members:Kahler Automation, Crystal Valley, Easy Automation, Michael Foods, Davis Family Dairies, Cambria, AGCO, Seneca Foods, and GreenSeam. Changes/Problems:While progress has been made in delivering the Advanced Ag Technology (AAT) Certificate program, we have encountered some challenges in achieving our target enrollment numbers: Shifting enrollment trends: We've observed lower enrollment in traditional Agriculture programs, which has impacted the pool of potential students for the AAT Certificate. Concurrently, we recognized that many Mechatronics students already possessed skills like those offered in the certificate, reducing their incentive to pursue it as an additional qualification. In short, there is a skills gap for agricultural students and a career awareness gap for mechatronics students to fill these positions. Scheduling conflicts: In previous years, we identified scheduling conflicts as a barrier to student participation. Students faced difficulties in balancing the requirements of both Mechatronics and Agriculture courses. Limited accessibility: The traditional on-campus format may have restricted access for some potential students, particularly working professionals or those with other commitments. To address these challenges, we have implemented the following strategies: Cross-departmental collaboration: Mechatronics faculty are now working closely with Agriculture faculty to help ensure students can take the necessary courses or receive credit for prior learning. They are also integrating agriculture examples into their current mechatronics courses to help create awareness of the agricultural industry and the additional jobs that they could pursue. Expanding program reach: We have initiated a collaboration with SCC's Customized Workforce Education (CWE) department to develop distance learning options for incumbent workers and Agriculture students. This aims to make the program more accessible to a wider range of learners. Enhanced high school engagement: We have increased our presence at high school agriculture events to promote the program and career opportunities in agriculture automation. This effort aims to strengthen the pipeline from secondary to post-secondary education. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Building on the training provided in Years 2 and 3, we have continued to offer professional development opportunities: Offered training refresher workshop June 20-24, 2023, for teachers from Medford, Lake Crystal Welcome Memorial, Maple River, Mankato East, and Sibley East. Offered training during the June workshop to one new agriculture teacher from Mankato West. Refresher workshops focused on advanced topics including hydraulics (fluid trainers), mechanical trainers, and capstone trainers, ensuring that secondary instructors remain up to date with the latest technologies and teaching methodologies. These ongoing training opportunities continue to expose high school teachers and students to the diverse career pathways in mechatronics and agriculture, strengthening the pipeline of skilled workers for the industry. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our dissemination efforts in Year 4 included: We continue to partner with GreenSeam, leveraging their network to share information about the AAT program at various industry events. We have increased our presence at high school agriculture events, promoting the outcome of the program, and opportunities in agriculture automation, at our high school partner events. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For the upcoming period, we have several initiatives planned: PI Laven is collaborating with SCC's Customized Workforce Education office to gather information about past Agriculture graduates currently working in the field. This will help us tailor the program to meet the ongoing needs of the workforce. We are preparing trainers and distance learning curriculum for incumbent workers to take the sensors course needed for the AAT certificate, as this was an identified need by the AAT BILT. Ideally, this training will also be aligned to an industry credential, which validates the skillset learned by the individua. There will also be a pathway that allows for credit for prior learning and provides a pathway back into the AAT, mechatronics, and ag programs, further increasing accessibility for potential future students. This training will support the incumbent workforce in our region and help reach our goal of 75 post-secondary learners. We have offered another round of training for high school instructors June and August 2024, aiming to have an additional 74 high school students participate in the certificate classes. This would bring our total number of high school students who have taken certificate classes to 255 by the end of the grant period, exceeding our original goal of 225. We plan to continue refining the curriculum based on feedback from the BILT and industry partners to ensure the program remains innovative and relevant to industry needs. We will work on strengthening the pipeline from high school to college, building on the success of the two high school students who have already enrolled at South Central College. The AAT Certificate program at South Central College has made significant strides in its fourth year at meeting the objectives outlined in the original USDA grant proposal. The program has effectively developed an industry-responsive curriculum that truly bridges the gap between agriculture and mechatronics, addressing the critical shortage of qualified agribusiness technicians and educators in southern Minnesota. Through close collaboration with a diverse BILT, which includes companies employing a significant minority workforce, the curriculum has been continually refined to meet the evolving needs of the industry. Key accomplishments include: Delivery of the AAT program to 10 post-secondary learners, with four declaring the certificate and two students graduating in Spring 2024. Engagement of 181 high school students in AAT coursework. Partnership with SCC's Customized Workforce Education department to develop incumbent worker training for sensors and controls. Professional development opportunities have been provided to high school teachers through summer workshops, ensuring the program's reach extends into secondary education. The project has also made strides in disseminating results through partnerships with industry organizations and increased presence at high school events. Looking forward, the programaims to further strengthen the pipeline from high school to college, expand offerings for incumbent workers, and continue refining the curriculum based on industry feedback. Overall, the AAT Certificate program has demonstrated its effectiveness in creating an industry-ready, advanced agricultural technology workforce that addresses the need for farm efficiency, profitability, and sustainability in southern Minnesota, while also promoting diversity and inclusion in the field.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: South Central College (SCC) hosted the AAT BILT (Business Industry and Leadership Team) meeting in January 2024 to review the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) included in the AAT certificate and courses. BILT members include key industry partners, such as Kahler Automation, Crystal Valley, Easy Automation, Michael Foods, Davis Family Dairies, Cambria, AGCO, Seneca Foods, and GreenSeam. Notably, several of these businesses employ many minority workers, ensuring our program is responsive to the needs of a diverse workforce. PILaven reviewed the current AAT curricula and suggested a modified AAT Certificate course sequence based on feedback provided through the BILT's KSA voting process. The suggested modification addresses course content gaps and ensures that the KSAs that were voted as highest priority are present in the certificate. It also creates a better aligned crosswalk between Agricultural and Mechatronics disciplines. This alignment also reflects the diverse skill sets required in the modern agricultural industry. The primary gap identified by the BILT was training for sensors and controls. This course has been added to the AAT certificate program. The BILT also communicated that this was a gap in their current workforce, supporting the need to bring similar training to incumbent workers. PI Laven will present the updated AAT Certificate course sequence at a SCC Curriculum Committee meeting in Fall 2024 for approval. Once approved, they will move through the process for updating the course catalogue, website, etc. to ensure continuity for students. Collaboration between the agriculture and mechatronics departments will continue and help support enrollment in the AAT Certificate. Objective 2: To address scheduling conflicts identified in previous years, Mechatronics faculty collaborated with Agriculture faculty to allow students time off from Mechatronics classes to take the required Agriculture courses for the AAT certificate. Delivered the AAT program to ten post-secondary learners, with four declaring the certificate program and two graduating in May 2024. This diverse group of agriculture and mechatronics students reflects the changing demographics of the agricultural workforce. Provided electrical, hydraulics, mechanical, and capstone training to 74 high school students in Year 4, bringing the total high school learners to 181. Two high school program participants enrolled at South Central College, demonstrating the success of our pipeline from secondary to post-secondary education. Began collaboration with SCC's Customized Workforce Education (CWE) department to offer distance learning for incumbent workers and Agriculture students, making the program more accessible to a wider range of learners. By working closely with diverse industry partners and focusing on accessibility, we have created a program that is well-positioned to address the evolving needs of the agricultural technology workforce in southern Minnesota.
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Progress 06/01/22 to 05/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Post-secondary learners (agriculture and mechatronics programs) Post-secondary faculty High school students High school educators . Changes/Problems:The transition of Deans who oversee the two program areas, one of which was a Co-PI, and lead academic discussions has been a challenge for this project. Dean of Career and Technical Education (Mechatronics), Dr. Dimitria Harding, left her position at SCC during year 2, then at the beginning of year 3, the Dean of Agriculture and Co-PI, Brad Schloesser, left SCC. There was a period of adjustment for the new Dean of Agriculture, Amy Durand. She was approved by the USDA to begin her duties as Co-PI in April of 2023. Since Dean Durand has taken on the role of Co-PI, she has worked hard to market the program and make necessary adjustments to the course schedules to make that students are able to take both the agriculture classes and the mechatronics classes. As noted in our Y2 report, the previous Director of Grants left the College after a four-month leave. As a result, in Y3, the grants department has spent time reviewing past plans and updating the internal team on federal grant regulations. In the middle of year 3, SCC added a Grants Specialist and Grants Accountant (both previously vacant positions), who have spent time familiarizing themselves with the grant and ensuring compliance. They are leading efforts with our Internal AAT Grant Team now that they are both onboard. Enrollment continues to be a challenge in general for the College. South Central College is rebounding slowly after a decline in enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019-2020, about 48 students were enrolled in the North Mankato campus Mechatronics program. These numbers dropped to 12 in 2020-2021 but have begun to rebound recently. In addition, with average unemployment of 2.4% in our region, students can join the workforce directly rather than enroll in college to pursue a degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2023). Overall, although it has taken us longer to move forward than expected, we are working hard to make progress. The first year of the grant focused primarily on faculty writing the AAT curriculum and moving it forward for approval. The second-year, faculty developed and piloted the high school curriculum. The third year was the first full year where both secondary and post-secondary courses were available to students. We have a motivated agriculture instructor bringing the courses to the high schools, and a new Co-PI so we expect this program to improve and grow in the coming year. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In year 2, AAT instructor training was provided to one teacher who taught across three of our pilot schools--Mankato East, Mankato West, and Central. In year 3, SCC provided AAT instructor training during the five-day workshop to five new partner schools: Lake Crystal Welcome Memorial, Mankato Public Schools, Medford, Maple River, and Sibley East. Nine high school teachers from these schools attended the AAT summer training in June of 2022. High school teachers spent five full days in a workshop at SCC taught by SCC agricultural faculty TJ Brown. Mr. Brown has been involved with the AAT project from day one and has led the efforts with our secondary partners. During the workshop, Mr. Brown worked with the secondary instructors on how to use hands-on trainers with students. With the mechanical trainers, the teachers learned about multimeter safety, wiring harness, and soldering safely. Teachers used electrical trainers to learn about electric motor problem solving. Finally, the instructors learned about fluid power labs and discussed how the course capstone would look like. All these distinct types of training exposed high school teachers and students to the different career pathways in mechatronics and agriculture. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The Mechatronics program introduced the approved AAT certificate to its students. Embedded in the Mechatronics AAS degree, the AAT certificate will enhance their fundamental knowledge of sensors, controls, and mechanics in the Ag sector. The webpage and the AAT program sell sheet were distributed to SCC program advisors and admission reps. These non-technical advisors and admissions staff are the first line of marketing for our AAT initiative. Eight area high school students completed Electricity II and Fluid Power I course content that relates to the AAT certificate. These high school completers can apply the credits they earned toward the AAT certificate courses when they apply at SCC. Secondary instructors shared the merit of the curriculum and lab equipment via email listserv and at MN Region VII high teacher meetings. This amounts to approximately 30 area high school agriculture programs and 50 agricultural educators. The Mechatronics and Agribusiness Advisory Committee stakeholders were informed of the new AAT courses and pathways for secondary students. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?SCC team members realized that more time would be needed to complete objective two and, in the spring of 2023, SCC requested a no-cost extension. The grants office led this effort and set up an internal AAT leadership team for the USDA grant. This team meets monthly and has established a new timeline to address the tasks needed to support Objective 2. This team also supported on-boarding Dean Durand. As Co-PI for only two months in year 3, Dean Durand has tackled the challenges presented to her for this project. Thanks to her efforts, nine students have enrolled in the AAT program this fall. During year 4, DeanDurand will be facilitating conversations between the Ag and Mechatronics department faculty to increase student enrollment in MEAG 1001 & the AAT certificate courses. Dean Durandand PI (Principal Investigator) Doug Laven have met with the SCC Mechatronics program faculty regarding plans to recruit students for the AAT certificate. SCC will be marketing to new and existing mechatronics and agriculture students and contacting the incumbent workforce to pursue the AAT certificate. Plans to accomplish our goals include: Marketing the certificate to our incoming and existing Agribusiness and Mechatronics students. Fresh marketing material will be used to recruit students into the AAT program during summer and fall orientation sessions. At the beginning of year 4, SCC moved forward with a large campaign to get the word out about the AAT program. Mechatronics instructors Alex Goff and Chris Blaisdell will be hosting a joint class to introduce students to the AAT Certificate option. SCC received the Metallica Scholars Grant and will be using those grant funds to offer scholarships to adult learners (21+) enrolled in the AAT Certificate program. Expanding our marketing to incumbent workers with existing Agribusiness degrees that may wish to take the remaining Mechatronics courses to earn an AAT certificate. The Agribusiness Dean and faculty will work with partner companies who have employed our recent graduates. Company tours will be scheduled to assess their current technological environment. An assessment will be made of additional skills/knowledge needed at each company for their Agribusiness technicians to be successful. This outreach plan will also include agribusiness farm employer site visits. The student tech recruiter for Kibble Equipment reached out to our admissions department requesting flyers or other information on SCC's Ag Tech program. to share with employees. Kibble Equipment offers Tuition Reimbursement. SCC faculty and staff will be meeting with our industry partners to ensure that the AAT certificate meets the current industry needs.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1 Developing an AAT Certificate program was accomplished during the first 2 reporting periods. During the first reporting period, the Advanced Agriculture Technology (AAT) certificate was approved by SCC's Curriculum Committee (a sub-committee of Academic Affairs and Standards Council) on November 12, 2020. It was sent to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system for approval, which was received on 3/2/2021. The Higher Learning Commission provided the final approval on 3/26/21. As of June 1, 2021, the AAT Certificate is an official program offering. The AAT Certificate is 18 credits and includes the following three-credit courses: MEAG 1001: Mechatronics Applications in Agriculture (new) MEAG 1510: Ag Equipment Maintenance MEAG 1700: Agricultural Industry Equipment MECA 1222: Electricity - Devices and Circuits II MECA 1223: Mechanical Systems I MECA 2120: Fluid Power I Objective 2 We continue to make progress toward Objective 2. Recruiting students has been challenging due to the disengagement and transition of each program's Deans (Mechatronics and Agriculture) during Years 2 and 3. As a result, scheduling conflicts between the two programs made it almost impossible for students to take the AAT courses. This conflict was identified by the grant's office in Y2 and shared again in Y3 with the incoming Deans, including Co-PI and Dean of Agriculture, Amy Durand, to remedy. Goals for Year 3 were to eliminate these scheduling conflicts to ensure that current SCC students could enroll in Y3 and beyond. As of Year 3, four post-secondary students have enrolled in the AAT certificate program. PI Durand was tasked with meeting with the SCC Marketing Department to develop an outreach plan for new students and alumni. This was a task the previous Dean of Agriculture was to complete but did not. Dean Durand has picked up this task and is working hard to ensure that the public is aware of this program. VP of Strategic Partnerships has also met with GreenSeam, an ag-focused economic partner, located in our community. The discussion was robust and GreenSeam re-committed to sharing the AAT program to industry partners in our region. In year 2, SCC delivered at AAT curriculum to 36 secondary students. In year 3, an additional 70 secondary students were reached, bringing the total number to 106 students under objective 2. Nine high school teachers were trained during a five-day workshop in Year3 (June 20-24, 2022). The workshop was led by Agribusiness instructor TJ Brown and focused on the skillsets needed to instruct their students in the AAT courses offered at the participating high schools. More information about this is provided in response to the next question.
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Progress 06/01/21 to 05/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences reached during this reporting period includ Post-secondary learners High school students High school educators Post-secondary faculty Changes/Problems:SCC's Director of Grants and Special Projects and the grant's AOR went on Medical Leave from Nov-Feb 2022, after which she resigned her position at the College. We were temporarily unable to access certain files, resulting in the College missing the February 2022financial reporting deadline. The responsibility for grants oversight has since transitioned to SCC's Director of Strategic Partnerships & Employer Engagement, Ms. Kelcey Woods-Nord. The official request to update the AOR to Ms.Woods-Nord was completed in May and the financial report was submitted that same month. Ms. Woods-Nord is a long-standing employee of the College (14 years), sits on Cabinet and reports directly to SCC's President,and has knowledge of and experience with federal grant reporting requirements. This transition will help ensure that we stay on task withfuture reporting requirements. During this reporting period, it was discovered that many of the Agribusiness and Mechatronics class times conflicted with each other. These time conflicts made it impossible for students from each program to sign up for AAT classes in the partner program's major. In order to sync the two programs together, some courses will need to be moved within their semester step and sequence. The Agribusiness and CTE Deans have committed to working this summer to address and adjust course times in order to eliminate these scheduling issues. As this type of scheduling conflict is not uncommon between community and technical college programs, this work also aligns with one of the College's overall goal for the FY23 workplan--Guided Learning Pathways and a master schedule. A major issue we fcontineud to face duringthis reporting period was the continued after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. SCC and the high schools in our service area followed strict protocols to keep current students, facultyand staff safe. These protocols included the cancellation of SCC school tours, career fairs, and face-to-face events, which had a negative impact on student recruiting. Many Mechatronics (and other) students elected to take a year off from their studies, and student enrollments in SCC's technical programs dropped significantly as a result. In 2019-2020, the enrollment for theNorth Mankato campus Mechatronics program was approximately 48 students. These numbers dropped to 12 in 2020-2021. Similar reductions in student counts were consistent throughout SCC and other Minnesota community colleges. Due to the impact of the pandemic on our enrollment efforts, our results are likely to lag a year for this project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This past year, we have piloted the curriculum in two area high schools. Mankato West piloted the course in the fall of 2021, revisions were made based on the teacher's recommendations. It was then piloted again in the spring of 2022. After the second pilot of the curriculum, only small changes were proposed by the teacher. We are in the process of making those changes now and finalizing the formal curriculum and documentation that will go out to all the participating high schools this summer. As a result of our pilot project, seven partner high schools (Medford, Maple River, Mankato East, Mankato West, Lake Crystal, and Sibley East) have registered for the June 2022 instructor training workshop to be held at SCC. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? AAT certificate training materials were piloted by two area high schools. Students completed Electricity II and Fluid Power I course content that directly relates to the AAT certificate. These high school completers can apply the credits they earned to the AAT certificate when they apply at SCC for either the Agribusiness or Mechatronics majors. This information has been shared with the six other high schools who have signed up for the high school partner training this summer. However, the teachers from the pilot schools did share the merit of the curriculum and lab equipment via email listserv and at MN Region VII high teacher meetings on numerous occasions this past spring. This amounts to about 30 area high school ag programs and about 50 agricultural educators. The Mechatronics program introduced the approved AAT certificate to its students. Embedded in the Mechatronics AAS degree, the AAT certificate will act as a way for students to enhance their fundamental knowledge of sensors, controls, and mechanics in the Ag sector. Website and the AAT program sell sheet are ready for distribution to SCC program counselors. These non-technical advisors will be the first line of marketing for our AAT initiative. The Mechatronics and Agribusiness Advisory Committee stakeholders were informed of program modifications or course offering enhancements. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Key Personnel, Mr. Doug Laven (PD) and Agriculture Dean and Project Coordinator, Mr. Brad Schloesser have met with the SCC Mechatronics program faculty regarding plans to recruit students into the AAT certificate. Topics of discussion include: Market the certificate to our incoming and existing Agribusiness and Mechatronics students. New marketing material will be used to recruit students into the AAT program during summer and fall orientation sessions. The newly created AAT program sell sheet will be made available to SCC Agribusiness and Mechatronics Advisors and counselors. Agribusiness faculty has anticipated the high school educators participating in the professional development would possibly generate 100 students with interest in AAT (this Fall, 2022) they will be enrolled at the six high schools - listed below. SCC will host Instructors representing six area high schools will attend our summer AAT curriculum training at SCC on June 20 through June 24. High Schools participating include Medford, Maple River, Mankato East, Mankato West, Lake Crystal, and Sibley East. Expanding our marketing to incumbent workers with existing Agribusiness degrees that may wish to take the remaining Mechatronics courses to earn an AAT certificate. The Agribusiness Dean and faculty will work with partner companies who have employed our recent graduates over the past 5 years. Company tours will be scheduled to assess their current technology environment. An assessment will be made of additional skills/knowledge needed at each company for their Agribusiness technicians to be successful. This outreach plan will also include agribusiness farm employer site visits. During these visits, SCC staff will determine gaps in AAT related training. A determination will be made if regional farm production operations have properly trained technicians to meet the current labor challenges. Recommendations will be made to determine a training program around stringent framing schedule. These recommendations may include agribusiness farm technicians to take the remaining AAT program certificate online. This online approach can be successful based on prior work currently being conducted with the high school Ag pipeline program and SCC's NSF distance learning initiative. Potential business employing recent Agribusiness graduates include: Kahler Automation CHS ADM All American Foods Seneca Big Gain Feeds Revol Greens - greens "salads" Bushel Boy - tomato Davis Family Dairies Work with Agribusiness Advisory Committee to assist with the above incumbent worker outreach.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the previous reporting period, the Advanced Agriculture Technology (AAT) certificate was approved by SCC's Curriculum Committee (a sub-committee of Academic Affairs and Standards Council) on November 12, 2020. It was then sent to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system for approval, which was received on 3/2/2021. The Higher Learning Commission provide the final approval on 3/26/21. So, as of June 1, 2021, the AAT Certificate is now an official program offering. During this reporting period, we were able to add this offering and publish it on the College's website and in the official course catalog. This will allow us to promote the certificate as an option to our incoming students, which we could not do prior to System/HLC approval. The AAT Certificate is 18 credits and includes the following three-credit courses: MEAG 1001: Mechatronics Applications in Agriculture (new) MEAG 1510: Ag Equipment Maintenance MEAG 1700: Agricultural Industry Equipment MECA 1222: Electricity - Devices and Circuits II MECA 1223: Mechanical Systems I MECA 2120: Fluid Power I At the time of certificate approval, most Mechatronics students had already accepted jobs in manufacturing and Ag-related food industries. However, we were able to enroll one Mechatronics student in the program and he completed his AAT certificate in the spring of 2022. This student's experience will help us in our recruitment and advising of future students into the program. We completed designs and procured supplies for building the AAT classroom trainers for our high school partners. Assembly of these trainers took place during the 2021-2022 academic year. This equipment is now available on a rotational basis to our high school partners. They will be receiving training for how to use these in tandem with the new curriculum during the summer of 2022.
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Progress 06/01/20 to 05/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:One major change we will address in the next reporting period, will be to reconnect with our high school partners. The pandemic set back our performance on this award significantly. We were not able to hold training, conduct outreach with high school faculty needed. We were able to apply for an application for the ATT certificateto the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System Office during this reporting period.However, the System Office approval process for certificates was put on hold during the pandemic (Fall 2020) and reopened this semester, 2021. (We anticipate approval will be provided by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities to offer the credential shortly, Spring 2021.) This delay in the ability to offer the certificate has upended our ability to offer the program to the high schools as planned further impacting the timing of our deliverables. In an email dated January 8, 2021, we informed our Program Officer, Dr. Ortiz, of our situation to move forward with our goals and objectives for this reporting period. We were informed not to modify our award on the front end, but proceed with the performance and apply for a no-cost extension if our project needs additional time to complete the goals and objectives. We plan to commence all activities as scheduled for March 2020 in the awarded proposal now in March of 2021 - December of 2021 including activities for objective 1 (development of the course(s), alignment of the courses, engagement of the industry in the curriculum design, creating of the learning labs for rotation to the high schools) and objective 2 (outreach and recruitment at area high schools, securing offering of the course with the high schools for the upcoming academic year(s) and recruitment of high school faculty and learners). Our recruitment will reach rural, minority, and veteran populations. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Regarding Objective 1: SCC will develop an Advanced Ag Technology (AAT) Certificate program that provides skills and knowledge responsive to in-demand careers in the high-tech agribusiness field. a. The South Central College Ag and Mechatronics program faculty are projecting approval for the AAT credential from the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system in Spring 2021. The entry-level course for the credential is anticipated to be offered Fall 2021. We will procure classroom lab supplies and equipment to be available on a rotational basis to our high school partners starting in Fall 2021 to showcase the opportunities available. Regarding Objective 2: SCC will increase the number of individuals entering agribusiness professions by delivering the AAT Certificate program to approximately 75 post-secondary learners and one of the certificate's courses to 225 high school learners, (over the period of the grant). We will launch our recruitment and selection efforts to enroll high school and South Central College participants this Spring and Summer 2021. This recruitment effort will consist of offering the AAT credential to post-secondary learners and one of the certificate's courses to high school learners in the three areas of rural schools, minority populations and Veterans.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
South Central College (SCC), Ag and Mechatronics program faculty created and modified courses and the framework for the new 18 credit Certificate for Advanced Agriculture Technology. The proposed Certificate will consist of: Mechatronics Applications in Agriculture: 3 Credits Ag Equipment Maintenance: 3 Credits Agricultural Industry Equipment: 3 Credits Electricity - Devices and Circuits II: 3 Credits Mechanical Systems I: 3 Credits Fluid Power I: 3 Credits. The Certificate application was sent to the System Office for approval based on;? AAS 3470/2470 Mechatronics Engineering Technology - Associate of Applied Science Degree DIP 3152 Agribusiness Service and Management.
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