Alamo Area Academies:Career Pathways &

Creative Delivery of Education

Cliff ZintgraffPresident, Innology LLCCo-Founder, Information Technology & Security AcademyJanuary 30, 2008

Innology: Raising Talent, Technology and Entrepreneurs

Talent

Technology Entrepreneurs

Challenge: Engagement

While we expand the pool of teachers, “a better understanding of what actions can be taken to excite children about science, mathematics, and technology would be useful in designing future educational programs.”

Rising Above the Gathering Storm

Page 114

Challenge:Critical Thinking Skills

“This is a story about … whether an entire generation of kids will fail to make the grade in the global economy because they can't think their way through abstract problems, work in teams, (or) distinguish good information from bad …”

New Commission on the Skills

of the American WorkforceTime Magazine

December 2006

Presentation Overview

Alamo Area Academies: Why & How They StartedAlamo Area Aerospace Academy

Information Technology and Security Academy

Manufacturing Technology Academy

Outcomes By the Numbers

Challenges We Face(d)

Mystery Workshop

Academies – What’s Next?

1999: Mayor Peak’s Better Jobs Initiative

• Classic “review and recommendation” committee

• Result: “Primed the pump” for …

2000: San Antonio’s Aerospace Challenge

1. Vibrant aerospace manufacturing and maintenance cluster

2. Aging workforce

3. No feasible plan

Aerospace Industry in San Antonio

The Aerospace Academy Entrepreneurs

Dr. Richard ButlerTrinity University

Professor of Economics

Dr. Federico ZaragozaVice-Chancellor

Alamo Community Colleges

Dr. David SplitekSuperintendentLackland ISD

Joe WilsonLockheed-Martin

Kelly Aviation Center

What They Could See

1. An 11/12th grade program

2. Dual credit

3. Taught by college instructors

4. Students still connected to home school

5. Industry-driven curriculum

6. Leading to a job on graduation

7. And an industry certification within 6 mos

What They Created

1. Region-wide program

2. Broad partnership

3. Industry-led curriculum

4. Dual credit

5. Near 100% job placement

What Students Earn

1. Certificate of Completion

2. 27-31* college semester hours (free)

3. 80% completion of airframe/powerplant license

*At ACCD or St. Mary’s University; fewer hours at other institutions

Zachary Trede

National SkillsUSA Contest Silver Medal

July 11, 2007

Partnership

• City of San Antonio• Alamo Community Colleges• All San Antonio area school districts and select Private Schools• Local aerospace companies• Port San Antonio• Alamo WorkSource• Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce

Partner Contributions

City of San Antonio Funding

Alamo Community Colleges

Facilities, administration and instruction

School districts Textbooks and transportation

Employers Curriculum leadership; summer internships

Alamo WorkSource Grant funding support; industry cluster support data

2001: San Antonio’s IT & Security Challenge

1. Second largest concentration of IT security professionals in the U.S.

2. Growing IT and Security industry cluster

3. Inability to fill open positions

IT & Security: Differences from Aerospace

1. Longer pipeline

2. Fragmented and diverse industry

3. Internships more challenging

4. Articulations more important

5. In the end, higher wage jobs

What We Created

ITSA: Economies of Scale

1. Staff

2. Facilities

3. Administration policies

4. Transportation

5. Recruiting efforts

ITSA: What Had to Change

1. Industry Committee structure

2. Goal (college, not work)

3. Internships (mix of paid and unpaid)

4. Support structure (to allow for these differences)

Student Success

Strategic Success? Air Force Cyberspace Command

“High school students have studied computer security in a high school-to-career academy, called the

Information Technology and Security Academy, since 2002 …

… No city has more assets that would be left unused, including a superbly trained work force, if the Air Force

does not place its Cyberspace Command in San Antonio.”

U.S. Air Force AIM Points, http://aimpoints.hq.af.mil/display.cfm?id=20950, 9/30/2007

San Antonio’s Advanced Manufacturing Challenge

1. Robust manufacturing capability and industry association.

2. Serious difficulty filling positions; workforce not being replenished.

3. Perception of manufacturing as “dirty, low wage jobs.”

What Was Created

Using primarily the Aerospace Academy Model

OUTCOMESBY THE NUMBERS

Numbers -- Overview

368 graduates, 2002-200798% continued higher education, or

… obtained jobs (vast majority in related industry)

… or joined the military

Average starting pay $27,730Salary: $21,320 ($10.25 x 2080 hrs) plus ~ $6,400 in benefits

(Prior to earning FAA certification)

(Does not include any ITSA graduates,

who will just be graduating college)

Graduation Placements

Ethnicity

PASTCHALLENGES

Past Challenges

1. Workforce Education Course Manual (WECM)2. Accuplacer3. Four hours on campus4. 4 by 45. Transportation6. Long pipelines (ITSA)7. Perceptions (Manufacturing)8. End to end alignment of staff, admin, industry, partners9. Recruiting

DESIGN A PATHWAY

WORKSHOP

Design a Pathway …

• What career pathways does your region need?• Will industry drive the curriculum?• Will industry send requisite leadership?• Will industry provide internships?• Who will administer the program / pathway?• Who will teach?• Who will fund raise?• Is regional funding available?• Who are the stakeholders?• How will you recruit students?

Pathway 1

Pathway 2

Pathway 3

Takeaways

1. The Academy Framework provides benefits in brand recognition and recruiting

2. Framework provides operational benefits (scale) in operations and recruiting

3. Industry drive is essential

4. Industry design must be custom

5. Tactical benefits are clearest with a short pipeline

6. Industry support wavers in a long pipeline -- but strategic benefits can win the day

7. Achieve critical mass – launch intending to reach orbit

WHAT’S NEXT?

New Academy Locations

New Academy Locations:

• New Braunfels – Manufacturing Technology Academy• New Braunfels – IT & Security Academy

Dreams for New Academies:

• Biotechnology• Nursing

Creative Recruiting

Alamo Area Academies will integrate K-10 “engagement programs” as tools to explicitly recruit into the Academies:

• SpaceTEAMS

• Texas Institute for Educational Robotics

• Whyville Robotics

Creative Recruiting -- SpaceTEAMS

The Texas Institute for Educational Robotics (TIER) will build on SpaceTEAMS to expand the program in San Antonio and

throughout Texas.

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Whyville Biotech

WhyvillePlaneWorks

Whyville Texas Challenge

• STARTS April 15

• Biotechnology and advanced manufacturing competitions

• Virtual World class vs. class competition

• Prizes!

• To get on the mailing list: info@whyville.net

Alamo Area Academies:Career Pathways &

Creative Delivery of Education

Cliff ZintgraffPresident, Innology LLCCo-Founder, Information Technology & Security AcademyJanuary 30, 2008

Innology: Raising Talent, Technology and Entrepreneurs

• Raising Talent by helping to create careers pathways in San Antonio

• Raising Technology by managing the technology assessment effort for the UT/Portugal CoLab

• Raising Entrepreneurs in Portugal (adults) and in virtual worlds (middle and high school students)