Advanced Technological Education Television (ATETV)

The Advanced Technological Education Television (ATETV.org) project is a web-based video series and interactive network designed to connect students and professionals with careers in advanced technology. Created under the guidance of a National Advisory Board with resources from the AACC, ATE National Centers, ATE projects and industry, ATETV aims to show how ATE is relevant to the modern workplace and to attract students to this growing field. ATETV features video episodes that highlight ATE success stories from community colleges and ATE programs nationwide. Its outreach efforts -- at ATETV.org and on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter -- aim to connect employers in industry and government with the high-tech workforce of tomorrow. ATETV extends student learning beyond the classroom walls and provides a window into careers and workplace skills. In the most recent endeavor, ATETV is producing bilingual student recruitment and retention videos featuring and aimed at Hispanics and Latinos. This video series is also advancing knowledge of effective recruitment strategies and understanding of career choice processes across many ATE disciplines. The work is being developed and created using the input and resources of educational partners with experience in the Hispanic and Latino communities and is being tested for efficacy under controlled circumstances in multiple venues. The shifting demographics of our nation make this work imperative. Embracing and engaging students who may be the only English speakers in their homes, or for whom Spanish is their first language is inviting Hispanics and Latinos, the largest ethnic minority in the US, to learn about STEM education and technology careers with the ultimate goal of improving the diversity of qualified technicians across a broad range of science and technology. This new series of videos is creating fresh and comprehensive content focusing on the wide range of opportunities in STEM, and is leveraging existing content (created for ATETV) to expand the reach of this material and generate new understanding of ATE educational and career pathways. These bilingual videos have multiple audio tracks (English and Spanish), multiple subtitle tracks and are highlighting emerging technical disciplines that are helping close some content gaps in the prior ATETV work. ATETV Bilingual Series extends across ATE disciplines and benefits Hispanic students and families, educators and high school guidance counselors. The videos are enhancing the recruitment efforts of technician educators, improving diversity in the workforce, improving educational attainment and employment for Hispanics and modeling processes for others to follow whether they are targeting Hispanics or other underrepresented groups.