MFG Day gets better every year and is inspiring youth to pursue careers in manufacturing. In California, Governor Brown even proclaimed the month of October as the Manufacturing Awareness and Appreciation month. However, MFG Day only occurs once a year. How can we help keep students focused on pursuing careers in manufacturing throughout the year?
One way is the STE@M™ Mentoring Program developed by Cari Lyn Vinci of InVINCIble Enterprises to train educators and youth leaders so they can motivate the next generation of students. InVINCIble Enterprises’ award-winning STE@M™ Mentoring Program is based on the book, Playbook for Teens,. about which I have written previously.
Through the STE@M™ Mentoring Program, teens learn how an interest in STEM subjects translates to opportunities in STEM careers. The Program helps students answer two age-old questions:
- “Why do I have to learn that?” and
- “What am I going to do when I grow up?”
The Program is used in middle and high schools as an after school, pull-out during class time, lunch-time, or club activity. The Program takes a group of students through 8 – 24 sessions (called Master Minds) focused around STEAM topics with local guest speakers. Master Minds are paired with POWER skills like public speaking, leadership, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. Students visualize being CEO’s of their lives, contributing to society as business owners, leaders, and workers in STEM industries.
The program incorporates team building and a reflection process, and students discuss how to apply what they are learning to their own lives. Students experience real networking opportunities and mentoring from adults and from each other. The outcome is that students create their own Playbook for Success with one of four goals after high school:
- Community College or Trade School
- 4-year or advanced degree
- Military
- Apprenticeship or an alternative goal that includes education
The program concludes with a Celebration that involves students presenting their own Playbook for Success while letting parents, educators, and peers know what help they need to achieve their chosen goals.
In an email to his educator network, Gary Page, Education Programs Consultant for the Career Technical Education Leadership Office in Sacramento, wrote “The STE@M™ Mentoring Program provides professional development training and resources to implement a guided, well-articulated career education program. Because the program reflects the Community College’s STRONG Workforce standards, Vinci was recognized by the California Chancellor’s Office as a STRONG Workforce Champion.”
The STE@M™ Mentoring Program supports:
- New World of Work – 21st Century Skills
- STRONG Workforce Initiative
- California Guided Pathways
- Common Core and Career Technical Education (CTE) Model Curriculum Standards
- CA After School Network Quality Standards
- National Career Development Guidelines.
- California Department of Education Standards/California Common Core ELA Standards
Through Professional Development of educators and professionals, this award-winning Program is being introduced to students in schools and by non-profits who serve middle schools and teens throughout California. This training is within the California After School Network Power of Discovery System.
When I interviewed Ms. Vinci last week, she said, “We started to facilitate Professional Trainings on the STE@M™ Mentoring Program in August 2016. These were sponsored by the Small Business, Deputy Sector Navigators Doing What Matters grant from the Chancellors Office. Trainings have taken place in Fresno, Merced, Monterey, Mt. Shasta College/Eureka, Oceanside, Sacramento, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Stockton, Ventura, and Woodland.
When educators implement the program, they reach 15-25 students in each “MasterMind” session. As a result, we have impacted over 7,000 students, parents, and teachers.
In addition to the California Chancellor’s Office STRONG Workforce Champion recognition, we have been acknowledged by the National Association of Women Business Owners with their Visionary Award; by Soroptimist with a RUBY award; and Program of Excellence from the Woodland School Board & the Yolo County Office of Education.”
She explained, “We are partnering with PRO Youth and Families non-profit organization in Sacramento for a proposal to train 300 Educators in 29 counties, spanning seven regions in the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA), which would impact over 6,000 youth.
We also have a media partnership with Diversity in STEAM Magazine. When we are invited to speak at conferences, meetings, and trainings, we provide a complimentary hard copy of the magazine and a free 1-year digital subscription. www.diversitycomm.net/inVINCIbleEnterprises
Diversity in STEAM Magazine (DISM) is dedicated to the advancement of all minorities, women and K-12 students within STEM. DISM provides and informs cutting edge concepts and is the link between the qualified students, career and business candidates, educational institutions, corporate America, and the federal government.”
In conclusion, Ms. Vinci said, “We are connecting the dots in the Woodland School District – where we piloted the STE@M™ Mentoring Program in 2016. This past August, the California After School Network (ASES) coordinators and their tutors were trained to bring the STE@M™ Mentoring Program to their 5th and 6th grade students. The goal is to bridge the gap and keep students motivated about STEAM careers as they transition from middle school to high school to an education after high school.”
Ms. Vinci explained that the training is a full day and includes:
- Printed curriculum materials
- Professional Development Training Guide for 8 – 24 session STE@M™ Mentoring Program with detailed Lesson Plans, Student Handouts & Teacher Resources
- Planning checklists for MasterMinds and Celebration
- Print Playbook for Teens
- All Educators receive Playbooks for their first group of students
- Digital Access to:
- PowerPoint presentations for all sessions + Celebration
- PDF version of Training Guide
- Additional Resources & Updates
- Implementation Support:
- Educators receive on-going phone support and one mid-point virtual coaching session.
- Guidance to personalize the Program for their sites
- Assistance identifying guest speakers and phone mentors
- Invitation to STE@M™ Mentoring Program LinkedIn Group and Facebook
The most recent STE@M™ Mentoring Program PD Training was held in October in Ventura. Gayla Jurevich, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship DSN with the California Community College STRONG Workforce, sponsored the event for educators from Kern, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara & Ventura Counties. Jeff Hamlin, the STEAM Hub Lead for Expanded Learning at the Ventura County STEM Network was the other co-host.
After the event, Ms. Jurevich said: “What I love about the STE@M™ Mentoring Program is that it reinforces the STRONG Workforce Goals and encourages girls who have an interest in STEM subjects to visualize the possibilities. Instead of losing interest in middle school (which many girls do) the program encourages them to continue on a pathway to a STEAM career.”
Jeff Hamlin commented: “Ventura County is excited to bring the STE@M™ Mentoring Program to our After-School Program because it raises the bar of quality of our programs, plus it aligns with the California After School Quality standards.
Research tells us that kids are deciding as early as 5th grade if they like science or math. That decision closes the door to future career opportunities in the growing STEM industries. For that reason, it’s important that students see the potential early. Also, the program incorporates 21st Century skills like communication, collaboration & critical thinking. These skills are beneficial for students regardless of their future career choices.”
Here’s what Paisley, an 8th grade student at Twelve Bridges STEAM Middle School, Lincoln, CA, said at her group’s Celebration, “I plan to have a career in sports medicine. I know this is right for me for me because it fits all the parts of the Career Sweet Spot™ that I read about in my Playbook for Teens. Sports Medicine will use my talent for science; it fits my outgoing personality to help patients; the market outlook shows potential for growth, I have a passion for helping people; and the investment in my education shows promise because sports medicine is a growth industry.” (To see how students are benefitting from the STE@M™ Mentoring Program, please watch their transformation in these videos)
Here’s what Ted Ruiz, a one parent of one of the girls who went through the mentoring program held in Woodland in 2017 wrote, “As a parent of a teenage girl I want to make sure my daughter has every opportunity to succeed. When I learned my daughter was invited to participate in the Play Book For Teens /STE@M mentoring program I thought it would be a great way for her to be exposed to new career paths. At the completion of the program I realized the program was much more than simply learning about STE@M.
The girls in this program learned soft skills that are not provided in any other setting. The networking, researching, interviews, camaraderie, and interactions learned through the program are not taught in our current “teach for the test” educational setting. The girls who participated are years ahead of their peers when it comes to soft skills. Not every girl will be a rocket scientist or doctor, but every girl will need to know how to interact with strangers, present themselves professionally, and collaborate to be successful in life. As a parent I wish programs like this were mandated for all student.”
Ms. Vinci will be presenting at a Pre-conference workshop on November 28, 2018, “Building an Equitable 21st Century Workforce – Starting Early & Nurturing the Pipeline from K-12 to Careers from 1:00 – 2:30 PM; “Peek into the future – get an understanding of why and how the workplace has changed and where it is headed. This TED-talk panel discussion encompasses points of view from educators and business people on the important tools and practicality of building a STRONG workforce.” This pre-conference session is the day prior to the California Perkins Joint Special Population Annual CTE Equity and Access Conference November 29-30, 2018 in Sacramento, CA.
Can you imagine what our schools and communities would be like if all students had such clarity of purpose for their future careers? Ms. Vinci has the goal of expanding this mentoring program across the country. This type of mentoring program would go a long way towards filling the pipeline of workers needed in the manufacturing industry as well as other STEM industries.
Tags: career technical training, skills gap, training, workforce development