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MAKERFEST CREATES A NEW SENSE OF PRIDE IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING INSIDE:
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> UC/Cincinnati State Partnership Accelerates Nursing Careers > New Website Allows Students to Find, Review Internships >WINTER Edison2016 State Community College’s EPIC program > Ohio Education Technology Conference Showcases the Future of Education
Volume 4 Issue 1
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3 Innovation has always been a part of Ohio’s DNA. Historical figures such as Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, Charles Kettering and so many others have created a spirit of invention that lives on today in how Ohio approaches challenges.
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Innovation is also alive in Governor Kasich’s approach to driving down the cost of college for students and families, and in the Ohio Legislature’s initiatives to help all students access life-changing educational opportunities. You’ll notice that innovation is a common theme in this edition of ConnectED, from collaborations in Cincinnati that help nursing students get a jump on their careers to an Ohio State engineering student’s work to help other students find relevant internships through InternWire, and Honda of America’s efforts to inspire high school students to pursue careers in manufacturing. Throughout this issue, and through a variety of programs operated by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, you can see that Ohio’s spirit of invention and innovation remains strong. We urge you to explore that spirit here and on our website, ohiohighered.org.
John Carey
Chancellor, Ohio Department of Higher Education
UC/Cincinnati State Partnership Accelerates Nursing Careers The higher education collaboration creates quicker pathway from RN to BSN.
MakerFest Creates a New Sense of Pride in Advanced Manufacturing Allen County high school students join in fun skills competition, learn about manufacturing careers.
Edison State Community College’s EPIC Program Two-year degree path leads students inside Honda plant for more hands-on education.
New Website Allows Students to Find, Review Internships Student-focused site provides practical career insights and raises money for education-based charities.
Ohio Education Technology Conference Showcases the Future of Education Technology leads the future of education; photos tell the story.
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UC/Cincinnati State Partnership Accelerates Nursing Careers Career advancement for Cincinnati State nursing students just got a little easier thanks to an innovative partnership with the University of Cincinnati that grants early admission to UC’s online RN to BSN program. The partnership, called Cincinnati Pathways, is an expansion of a comprehensive agreement that allows academically qualified Cincinnati State graduates to transition seamlessly into a variety of UC degree programs. In accordance with the Cincinnati Pathways program, Cincinnati State students with a GPA of 3.4 or higher who matriculate to UC through Cincinnati Pathways will receive a UC Transfer Scholarship.
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Cincinnati State students graduating with an associate degree in nursing with a GPA of 2.5 or higher can apply and expect entry into UC’s online RN to BSN program before receiving RN licensure, accelerating entry into the program. UC’s online RN to BSN program is fully accredited and is ranked “No.3 Best Online RN to BSN Program” by BestCollegeReview. org. It offers greater flexibility than a traditional classroom-based program and requires 27 credit hours and can be completed in 12 to 18 months. The RN to BSN program went completely online in the summer of 2013. Since then, a total of 711 students have been admitted to the program, 126 of them coming from Cincinnati State; 39 of those met the requirements for the Cincinnati Pathways transfer scholarship. “Early admission into UC’s program gives Cincinnati State graduates more time to prepare for the National Council Licensure Examination, while ensuring there is no delay in their continuation toward a BSN,” said Denise Rohr, RN, associate dean of the Division of Health and Public Safety at Cincinnati State and director of the Cincinnati State Bethesda School of Nursing. It’s no secret that career opportunities abound in the healthcare fields. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts registered nurse employment will grow 16 percent through 2024 as home healthcare needs increase and the U.S. population ages. BLS reports the median salary for a RN is $66,640, but notes that while entry-level RN positions are available with an associate’s degree, the industry standard is fast becoming a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. A 2010 Institute of Medicine report, “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” recommended increasing the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to 80 percent—from 49 percent at the time the report was released—and doubling the number of nurses with a doctorate by 2020. “Employers take notice of registered nurses who are pursuing their bachelor’s in nursing,” said Kathleen Carissimi, RN, director of UC’s RN to BSN program. “It’s our hope that health care providers who are seeking to grow their population of baccalaureate-trained nurses will look to UC and Cincinnati State as they seek to recruit qualified and motivated nursing talent.”
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MAKERFEST CREATES A NEW SENSE OF PRIDE IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING Manufacturing has a long history in Lima, Ohio and has been an anchor for Allen County’s economy since its founding in 1831. By 1886, Lima boasted numerous manufacturing industries, including paper products, woodwork, oil machinery and locomotive production. As the world economy continues to evolve in the 21st century, the residents and employers of Allen County created MakerFest to create a new sense of pride in the advanced manufacturing and skills trade career opportunities presently available in the area. Lima/Allen County, an employer-driven workforce developmental strategy, strategized MakerFest 2015 as an event to attract, develop and retain an employer-ready local workforce with the right skills to fill the needs of local employers. To meet that mission, the MakerFest 2015 had two event tracks. Track one engaged current Allen County high school students. The roughly 1,100 high school students spent a day last November listening to keynote speakers such as Keith Wandell, a former Lima resident and the CEO of Harley Davidson. The students also networked in the career fair and competed for the MakerCup.
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7 Students representing their schools earned points by attending breakout sessions hosted by P&G, AcuMax Index, Spherion and other local employers, and collecting business cards after the sessions. Additionally, points were earned by competing in skills-based competitions such as brick laying, auto repair, graphic design, welding, carpentry, maneuvering a Bobcat, robotics and constructing buildings out of noodles and marshmallows. The Lima-based Apollo Career Center beat 11 other schools to take home the “Maker Cup”, a one-of-a-kind sculpture commissioned by a local artist. The Apollo Career Center nearly doubled the points of the first runner-up and had a separate reception after the event to reward its students. The second track, which took place the day after the skills competition, focused on Allen County’s adult job seekers. Community members attended workshops on how to leverage life experiences and utilize the OhioMeansJobs website to help pursue a career. They also participated in extreme interview makeovers with local human resource executives. With 1,300 attendees, 60 local employers and more than $100,000 raised, MakerFest 2015 was a clear success, and planning for MakerFest 2016 is already in the works. Organizers said the 2015 event generated a great response and they are excited about connecting more people to career pathways in 2016. To learn more about Link Lima/Allen County and MakerFest, visit linklima.com/makerfest-2015/ Contact: Doug Arthur, doug.arthur@transformconsulting.us
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EDISON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S EPIC PROGRAM
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9 The Bureau of Labor Statistics, recently reported that manufacturing companies added 29,000 workers in January alone to reach a seven-year high of 12.4 million workers. Students at Edison State Community College are striving to meet this increasing demand for manufacturing jobs. Edison State paired with Honda North America, Inc. to implement the “EPIC” program. EPIC stands for creating Enthusiasm about manufacturing among middle school students; encouraging Passion among high school students to harness the power of technology; promoting Innovative instruction at twoyear colleges; and continuing Commitment to further educational opportunities for Honda associates. The EPIC program was added to Edison State’s curriculum in March 2015. The full implementation will be complete this summer. The EPIC program is preparing students, starting in middle school, for the skills needed to work in this huge and important part of the American economy. The first stage of the EPIC program incorporates video game technology to teach manufacturing skills to middle school-aged students by allowing them to use teamwork to build an engine, run a plant and troubleshoot production equipment problems. In high school, EPIC encourages students by providing hands-on learning experiences in the classroom and tours of the Honda facility in Anna, Ohio. The last component, which Edison exemplifies, is college career-based education aimed at the manufacturing industry’s needs.
“One of the most important outcomes of the EPIC model is to hopefully encourage community colleges and manufacturers to partner up and provide stimulating and challenging experiences.” - Doreen Larson, Edison State’s President
Edison State offers a two-year degree path to instill an industrial mindset into EPIC program participants. The first year entails college coursework in science and technology, followed by real-life job experience inside the Honda plant three days a week and two days of classroom experience the second year. This type of program of study equips Edison students for occupations with great potential close to and far from home, partly because the EPIC program gives students priority access to job openings at not only Honda’s Anna, Ohio plant, but also other regional Honda facilities.
Edison State’s allegiance to the EPIC program started small, but with steady growth to meet the needs of industry in the future. Edison is not only aiding the EPIC program at its last stage, but also is utilizing the campus to hold STEM camps during the summer for middle schoolers. Edison also hopes to use the EPIC program model to partner with other regional manufacturers as a means of customizing the curriculum so they can develop a robust workforce pipeline. Doreen Larson, Edison State’s president, said, “The partnership between manufacturers and community colleges seems natural, but is not often utilized. In my opinion, one of the most important outcomes of the EPIC model is to hopefully encourage community colleges and manufacturers to partner up and provide stimulating and challenging experiences.” Edison State’s success through the EPIC program benefits all involved – the college, the students and Honda’s workforce. They hope to continue achieving success by expanding the EPIC program and developing their resources to bring even more students into the ever-growing manufacturing field.
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NEW WEBSITE ALLOWS STUDENTS TO FIND, REVIEW INTERNSHIPS After attending an internship fair in the spring of 2015, Michael Fearer, a fourth-year electrical engineering student at The Ohio State University, felt overwhelmed. With over 300 companies in attendance, there was little to no time to learn much about the individual internships. And even if an opportunity sounded intriguing at first glance, what would a former intern at that company have to say about working there? How could he or any other student be sure that a given internship opportunity would be worthwhile?
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Fearer knew that he wasn’t the only one feeling this way, and that’s when his entrepreneurial instinct kicked in to create InternWire, a website that allows college students to efficiently find and anonymously rate internship opportunities. InternWire is a free service that works like Amazon, Rate My Professor or other review-based websites. Students are encouraged to rate and review their past internship experiences, and the more reviews the site collects, the more comprehensive and powerful its search engine becomes. Prospective interns can filter the search results by variables such as location, level of difficulty and pay scale, in order to find the internship that’s best suited to their individual needs and preferences. For students who aren’t even sure where to begin their search, InternWire also offers an online quiz that aims to match them up with open internship opportunities. Fearer’s goals for the site are twofold—he not only hopes to connect students with the best available internship opportunities, but he also hopes to raise money for education-based charities. For every 1,000 views the site receives, InternWire will donate 1% of the profit to organizations such as Pencils to Promise, which helps build schools in underdeveloped areas around the globe. “As the site grows, I hope to expand the charities we can help,” Fearer said. Between its launch in August 2015 and the end of last year, InternWire’s database had already grown to more than 170 reviews for 135 different companies. To help continue the site’s growth, Fearer is trying a variety of marketing tactics, such as a competition among business-student organizations to see which one could post the most reviews. InternWire plans to hold a national competition in April. Fearer said he believes InternWire is helping to fill a new niche. “There’s been a shift from graduate programs and employers solely rating college students on their GPAs and test scores to caring about a student’s real-life job experience, and that correlates to a need for quality internships. I see a void in this industry and I think InternWire can help more and more.” You can visit InternWire at http://www.internwire.com.
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The Ohio Educational Technology Conference is the premier P-20 state educational technology conference. Each year, more than 4,000 educational technology professionals and enthusiasts come together to explore the forefront of P-20 learning and innovation in Ohio. For three days, from Feb. 9-11 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, technology and education professionals from elementary all the way up to adult learners learned from a myriad of workshops and exhibitors, connected with like-minded individuals, enjoyed some fantastic speakers and came away refreshed and motivated.
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Chief Education Evangelist, Google, Inc.
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through their students.” OETC_red -Dr. Freeman Hrabowski at #OETC16
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A special thank you to all of those who contributed stories and articles: UC/Cincinnati State Partnership Accelerates Nursing Careers Robert White Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
MakerFest Creates a New Sense of pride in Advanced Manufacturing Doug Arthur Transform Consulting LLC
Edison State Community College’s EPIC Program Doreen Larson, Ph.D. Edison State Community College
New Website Allows Students to Find, Review Internships Michael Fearer The Ohio State University
Thank you for reading ConnectED. We appreciate any suggestions or ideas to improve this newsletter. We welcome story ideas, links to articles of interest, and news releases. Please send story ideas to Jeff Robinson at jrobinson@highered.ohio.gov.
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