Experts expect the demand for employees in
professional, scientific, and technical service fields to rise nearly 30% over
the next five years. On-the-job training and apprenticeship programs will play
an important role in addressing this need, but students must master both theory
and application.
It’s up to higher-education administrators and faculty
to develop standards to prepare technical workers for the future while ensuring
that a technical education is a well-rounded engaging experience, according to
Jeff Ylinen, provost of Dunwoody College of Technology, Minneapolis, MN, in a
column for eCampus News.
“In more standard educational models, students first
build a foundation of theory and then, later in their degree program, apply that
theory through specific coursework and internships,” Ylinen wrote. “We’ve found
that by flipping this model and immersing our students from day one in
real-world environments and workplace situations, they more quickly develop a
body of experience and contextual understanding of specialist technical
environments that make the learning of theory far more relevant and
successful.”
On-campus training centers can provide the hands-on
learning students need to prepare for apprenticeships and employment. Such centers
do require an investment from the institution, but the return is students who
gain valuable experience and meet industry expectations.
“Creating opportunities for students to not only become
familiar with emerging materials and new technologies, but also to physically
work with them and understand their properties and parameters, creates a far
greater degree of knowledge currency and job readiness postgraduation and
increases students’ excitement over the direction their chosen fields are
pursuing,” Ylinen wrote.
