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Session 3551

Developing an Environmental Engineering Technology Program Dr. Nicholas A. Scambilis Sinclair Community College

I. Introduction This paper describes how a Tech Prep Consortium, several high schools, a community college, and a host of local employers in Ohio’s Miami Valley worked together to develop an Environmental Engineering Technology program that meets the needs of the community.

Background: In 1991 the Miami Valley Tech Prep Consortium was organized to bring together local employers and educators to jointly develop seamless technical degree programs that span the junior year in high school through community college with options to continue at a four-year institution. Tech Prep is a national education reform, designed to meet the needs of our changing workforce by providing skilled technicians for high demand fields. It is a cooperative effort between industry, secondary schools and post-secondary schools. Tech Prep is designed to: • increase the number of students enrolled in a demanding technical field, • improve the preparation level of students entering college, and • provide technical skills for high school graduates entering the workforce.

Tech Prep: The Ohio Tech Prep Program began in 1991 based on the concept of consortia. Grants were available to consortiums of secondary schools, community colleges and business partners. Twenty-eight Tech Prep consortiums were formulated and now serve most of Ohio. The Miami Valley Consortium comprised of Sinclair Community College, the University of Dayton, and seven Vocational Education Planning Districts, serves 64 high schools and over 100 business partners. In Ohio, the Miami Valley Consortium, which has the highest number of enrolled students, was named “Best In The Nation - 1996”, by the U.S. Department of Education.

High School Enrollments: National statistics on high school enrollment indicate that 50 percent of high school students are generally unfocused, 25 percent are preparing for college and 25 percent are preparing for vocational training. Furthermore, according to a 1993 study by the U.S. Government Accounting Office(1), about 15 percent of high school freshmen go on to graduate and obtain a four year college degree within six years of high school graduation. Additionally, 97 percent of parents responding to a national survey expected their children to finish high school. Seventy percent expected that their children would complete a four-year college and receive a degree compared to 25 percent that actually fulfill this expectation. (2) With the growing demand for technical training, the education system and industry are not in sync, thus creating losses for students, employers and the community. Tech Prep thus aims to provide a focused job-related technical education for the 50 percent unfocused students.

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Scambilis, N. A. (2000, June), Developing An Environmental Engineering Technology Program Paper presented at 2000 Annual Conference, St. Louis, Missouri. 10.18260/1-2--8282