Technology Mentorship Programs

Calling All Mentors

The Future of Career and Technical Education?

ISU students completing land surveying field work with their instructors and mentors.

A modified approach to career and technical education is expanding access to the Idaho State University College of Technology’s programs. While many institutions are increasing offerings through online learning opportunities, that approach doesn’t meet the needs for programs with intensive hands-on educational requirements. In response, the College of Technology has turned to a method that predates even the traditional collegiate experience: mentorships. Mentoring has been an integral part of the learning process throughout all recorded history. In fact, the word “mentor” comes from Homer’s epic poem Odyssey around 3,000 years ago. In modern colleges, however, many programs lack a form of structured mentoring. When the ISU College of Technology’s Civil Engineering Technology (CET) and Surveying and Geomatics Engineering Technology (SGET) Programs noticed a disconnect between the need for civil engineering technicians/ surveyors in the land surveying industry and the number of students applying to their program, they knew something needed to change. In 2020, The CET/SGET Programs were only enrolling about six students per semester at a time when there was record demand in Idaho for their graduates due to a retiring workforce and boom in the construction industry. During the pandemic, all programs at ISU implemented online learning in one fashion or another. However, CET/SGET students still required hands-on components in their education. “The concept for a mentorship program came about after a $211,000 Workforce Development Council Sector Grant from the State of Idaho,” said Robert Liimakka, program coordinator for the SGET Program. “This grant supported online course development and training for incumbent workers who were able to earn college credits and qualify as certified survey technicians while working at their current jobs. The companies they worked for had professional land surveyors to oversee and guide students through courses with lab components. The mentors provided the needed equipment, technology and integrity into this effort. This mentor policy is very successful and continues to be an integral part of our online course delivery strategy.”