NSF Award
1535322
The research project will examine an industry-college collaborative model to align workforce development strategies to employment needs in a sector-specific economy. The research team will conduct a mixed-methods research study in the context of the Marcellus ShaleNET Program ? a unique partnership between the energy sector and a consortium of colleges in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia. Through this partnership, local employers have designed sub-baccalaureate credentialing programs that teach critical, occupation-specific STEM skills to students set to prepare them for high-demand semi-skilled STEM jobs in the expanding energy sector across these regions. The proposed study will contribute to the knowledge of the role that sub-baccalaureate credentialing programs play in providing workers with the skills and training necessary to succeed in the STEM labor market. It will provide additional insights also about the relationship between sub-baccalaureate programs and labor force outcomes to better inform local colleges and employers seeking to improve the economic prospects of those not seeking four-year degrees. <br/><br/>The researchers will collect and analyze primary data and conduct interviews and surveys to draw inferences about the program?s effectiveness by investigating the following research questions: (1) How do regional business leaders and sub-baccalaureate education and training programs collaborate to ensure that such programs are producing graduates who have acquired the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to succeed in the energy sector?, (2) Do oil and gas industry-specific credential programs convey knowledge, skills, and abilities required of employers in the sub-baccalaureate STEM labor market? (3) Are workers who earn oil and gas industry-specific credentials more successful in the STEM labor market than their peers who pursue other postsecondary training options? The research will be guided by labor market screening theory, which emphasizes employers? trust in the credential because of its value in reducing uncertainty in the hiring process by accurately conveying the KSAs of the applicant, and human capital theory, which predicts that those with more valuable job-specific training will be more highly rewarded by employers. <br/><br/>The project is supported by the ECR program that emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad and enduring: STEM learning and STEM learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development. ECR supports the accumulation of robust evidence to inform efforts to understand, build theory to explain, and suggest intervention and innovations to address persistent challenges in STEM interest, education, learning and participation.
