George Bilokonsky

Director College Pathway ProgramsCuyahoga Community College

Contact Information:

Phone: 216-987-6302Fax: 216-987-6303George.Bilokonsky@tri-c.edu

Responsible for managing the daily operations of the Youth Technology Academy program, both the in-school youth projects and the Advanced Technology Academy out-of-school youth project, with emphasis on developing relationships with schools, students, parents, businesses, regulatory and community agencies. Responsible for building a comprehensive workforce development model for technology preparatory programs that support STEM training in the CMSD high schools and lead into fast-track technical training for youth once they graduate from high school.

YES YOU CANUsing STEM Hands-on to Motivate Youth

NAWP Conference Presentation of George Bilokonsky and Robert StewartCuyahoga Community College (Tri-C)

May 17, 2011

Youth Technology Academy (YTA)

• Year-round STEM training program• Recruits Cleveland-area in-school youth • Provides preparation for technical and

engineering careers • Supported primarily by Workforce Investment

Act (WIA) funding from Cuyahoga County’s Workforce Development Department

Typical YTA Recruit

• Sophomore or junior in high school• Average GPA is 2.62• Likes to work with his / her hands• “A little lost” ▫ Not sure what they want to do▫ May be in trouble in school,

but not with the law

YTA Program Design

Provides clients with three levels of training:

1. STEM-Based Academic 2. Applied technical3. Work readiness

YTA Program Design:STEM-Based Academic Training

• Math tutoring improves students’ math skills• Enrollment in Introduction to Engineering course (EET-

1100) gives students intensive math instruction ▫ Incorporates VEX Robotics hands-on lab activities▫ Helps students grasp the role of math in technical and

engineering applications

• Enrollment in Tri-C engineering and/or manufacturing technology courses earns college credit for high-school students ▫ Coursework paid through Ohio’s Post Secondary Enrollment

Options Program (PSEOP)▫ Includes coursework in Engineering Design, CAD,

Instrumentation Control, Computer Applications and Programming, Machine Tool Theory

YTA Program Design:Hands-on Technical Training

Weekly after-school VEX Robotics activity ▫ Teaches students how to design, build, and program a VEX robot

to perform given tasks

VEX competitions held periodically ▫ Teach students how to test, trouble-shoot, modify their robot

designs under pressure

FIRST Robotics program▫ Designed for the more experienced students▫ Provides students with the opportunity to design and build a

robot under the guidance of NASA engineers and other adult mentors

▫ Teaches students all about the iterative engineering process

YTA Program Design:Work Readiness Training

• Work-readiness coaches provide workshops that teach students the skills required to succeed in the workplace

• Understanding of work-readiness is reinforced through on-line tutoring activities

• Students develop preparedness for further education and eventual employment in high-skills careers

How the Training Is Accomplished

• Modified distance-learning model uses Polycomunits to broadcast to participating high schools

• Certified teachers serve as Technology Ambassadors at participating schools

• YTA coordinators and field specialists assist the Tech Ambassadors

Why Robotics?

• Robotics is exciting and holds students’ attention

• Designing, programming, building, and trouble-shooting robots helps students develop STEM knowledge and skills▫ Students take college-level STEM coursework▫ Students gain experience with hand tools (wrench, screwdriver, etc.) and

machine tools (lathe, milling machine, etc.) while building Robots

• Competition is a team building experience

YTA in Action: Public Service AnnouncementProduced, Directed & Filmed by YTA Students

Does it work?

2006 2007 2008 2009 AVERAGE 06-09

Graduation Rate-YTA 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Graduation Rate-CMSD 52% 55% 62% 54% 56%

Graduation Rate-STATE 86% 86% 87% 85% 86%

Comparison of YTA Student Graduation Rate with CMSD Average and State Average Graduation Rates

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2006 2007 2008 2009 AVERAGE 06-09

Graduation Rate-YTA

Graduation Rate-CMSD

Graduation Rate-STATE

Does It Work?

Highest College Attended by YTA/Project Students Following High School Graduation

%

Did Not Attend College 13.5%

Highest = Two-year 64.8%

Highest = Four-year 21.7%

Total 100.0%

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%

Did Not Attend College

Highest = Two-year

Highest = Four-year

Highest College Attended by YTA/Project Students

Following High School Graduation

%

Keys to success - YTA• Technology Ambassadors in the high schools▫ Each TA recruits students from one high school▫ TAs facilitate PSEOP classes on site with remote instructor▫ TAs oversee student participation in tutoring ▫ TAs conduct VEX lab activities, coach teams in building

VEX robots, and attend & coordinate competitions• Support from School Administrators and Parents▫ Involve Administrators and Parents in competitions▫ Motivation from robotics team spreads to other studies Grades go up Tardiness / unexcused absences go down

Advanced Technology Academy (ATA)

• Founded in 2007 to prepare Out of school youth (age 18 – 21) for Technical Employment

• Nearly 200 inner city youth served since inception

• Nearly 70% of them are currently employed or enrolled in post secondary education

Typical ATA Student

• 18 – 21 years old• High School Diploma or GED• Average grades or slightly below• Likes to work with his / her hands• Interested in finding a job before starting college• May never go to college

Learning is twofold• Someone teaches you the basics

• Practice, practice, practice

ATA Model• Employer selects candidate at closed Job Fair• ATA provides instruction for Certification▫ Digital Cabling▫ Manufacturing▫ Welding▫ CISCO Networking▫ Soldering▫ Other skills as identified by employer

• Employer provides the practice▫ 100 hour paid Internship▫ Funded by WIA▫ No cost to employer

Paid Internship

• WIA Grant pays for 100 hours at minimum wage at no cost to the employer.

• An open job is available with every internship

• Student is hired by company if performance and attendance are satisfactory

What does Employer need to do?

• Have a valid entry-level opening available if candidate is successful

• Define skills needed for the entry-level job• Provide supervision / hands-on training during

Internship• Track hours worked, and approve Time Sheet• Evaluate Intern, and make a hiring decision at the

end of the Internship

Keys to success - ATA

• Strong support of neighborhood groups▫ Community Development Corporations▫ Chambers of Commerce▫ Non-profit agencies

• Strong support of employers▫ Structured internships▫ Donations for ancillary costs▫ Employer Advisory Committees

Community Impact

• CMSD and Suburban Schools

• Neighborhood groups

• Employers

Why Collaborate with a Community College?

• Obvious Reasons:▫ Community colleges are designed to prepare the

workforce▫ They offer resources for your program▫ They want to work with you

• The not-so-obvious reason why community colleges want to work with your program▫ FTEs & Tuition

FTEs & TuitionPrograms that enroll youth in college courses bring two revenue streams to the college: Revenue from FTEs and revenue from tuition

• What are FTEs?—The FTE is a unit of measure on which the state bases funding to

academic institutions. One FTE (Full Time Equivalent) is equal to 30 creditsAn FTE can be achieved by enrolling 10 students in a 3-hour course, 15 students in a 2-hour course, or any number of students that factor to 30 when multiplied by the credit hour value of the courseFor every FTE the institution provides, the state of Ohio pays the institution $5,363

—EXAMPLE: 15 students taking EET-1100, a 2-hour course, bring $5,363 in FTE revenue

FTEs & Tuition• What about tuition?

—Cuyahoga Community College charges a tuition of $84.56 per credit hour

—EXAMPLE: The 15 students taking EET-1100 each pay $169.12 in tuition, bringing tuition revenue of $2,537

• Add the two together :—FTE revenue and tuition revenue go into the institution’s general fund—EXAMPLE: The 15 students enrolled in EET-1100 bring a total of

$7,900 ($5,363 plus $2,537) into the general fund – or $527 per student enrolled

The Big Picture

• YTA enrolls 100 students per semester in coursework at Tri-C (generally 2-credit-hour course)

• These students bring a total of $105,800 in FTE and tuition revenue to the general fund per year

The future of Youth Programs

• Multiple funding sources▫ Workforce Investment Act▫ National Science Foundation▫ Department of Labor▫ Environment Protection Agency▫ Local Philanthropic Foundations

Contact InformationGeorge Bilokonsky

Director, Youth Technology Academy & Advanced Technology Academy

Tel.: 216-987-6302 • E-Mail: George.Bilokonsky@tri-c.edu

Mary Kay BittermanProgram Manager, Youth Technology Academy

Tel.: 216-987-6298 • E-Mail: MaryKay.Bitterman@tri-c.edu

Robert StewartProgram Manager, Advanced Technology Academy

Tel.: 216-987-3347 • E-Mail: Robert.Stewart@tri-c.edu

Cuyahoga Community College • 2900 Community College Blvd., MHCS-203 • Cleveland, OH 44115