Members of the ATE community are encouraged to attend a free webinar, “Introducing Spectrum Innovates Pathway Program (SIPP) - A new model of transition to higher education and the workforce for individuals on the autism spectrum.” This live webinar will be held on Monday, December 6, at 1 pm Eastern. 

SIPP is a gateway to higher education and the workforce for those whose passions include aviation, aeronautics, aerospace, engineering, and related fields. The program offers a 12-month experiential education to address the challenges students with autism face in transitioning to life after high school. SIPP is funded by an ATE research grant.

Interested readers can visit the registration page for more information and to register to attend.

The Clemson University Center for Workforce Development has developed a four-track robotics digital learning package to deploy to partner institutions. Through Fall 2022, the center will be piloting robotics curricula for the high school, associate, bachelor, and master levels, including courseware in virtual reality simulations, video lectures, open text, and interactive assessments. 

The center is looking for instructors to participate in a free pilot program using the curricula, to provide feedback on the courseware in the form of instructor and student survey responses. The first 25 instructors to register for the pilot program with 10 students or more will receive an honorarium. 

There is no deadline to apply. Interested instructors should fill out the course access request form or contact the center for more information about the curricula.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded more than $30 million in research grants and project seed grants as part of the Future Manufacturing program. These awards are intended to promote U.S. competitiveness in transformational manufacturing, including biomanufacturing, cyber manufacturing, and eco manufacturing. 

The research projects, which include four-year colleges and universities, community colleges, and corporations, will “investigate areas to transform the predictability, security, reliability and efficiency” of advanced manufacturing. 

Read more about the awards and the grantees in this announcement from NSF.

Google announced recently that it would make its career certificates available for free to community colleges in the U.S. These certificates, which cover information technology, data analytics, project management, and user experience design, are intended to support workforce development of highly in-demand digital skills.

The certificates have been recommended by the American Council on Education as equivalent to 12 credits or 4 full courses at the undergraduate level. The state of Connecticut will offer for-credit courses using Google’s IT Support Certification for the Spring 2022 semester.

Read more about the announcement in this article from CNBC.

Microsoft recently announced an initiative to support cybersecurity workforce training at community colleges across the country. The software company will reportedly provide scholarships or other financial assistance to 25,000 students over the next 4 years and support instructor professional development at 150 community colleges, in addition to free curriculum materials.

The efforts come in the wake of recent high profile cybersecurity breaches, such as the SolarWinds attack, that have alarmed policymakers and companies. 

Read more about the announcement in this article from Reuters.