2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In 2017, Michigan State University was awarded an NSF (National Science Foundation) workforce training grant to build a professional skills curriculum for students and practitioners in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math). The curriculum provided free training in communication, teamwork, and leadership skills in the context of interdisciplinary STEM research and practice. The project had three overarching goals: develop new curriculum; test and revise the materials with at least 75 participants; and implement a “train the trainers” program to prepare at least 20 volunteers to use the new curriculum to provide professional skills trainings for their own campuses, employers, and communities.

The initial three-year project was extended across six years due to pandemic-related delays, but the team pivoted to adapt the curriculum for interactive, online, synchronous trainings that were very well received. Once in-person activities resumed, additional facilitators were trained and the program was adopted by other institutions and organizations to provide professional skills training to their own audiences. Nearly 11,000 participant trainings were completed in the first six years of the project, with help from 120 volunteers trained as program facilitators, and several organizations have stepped in to provide ongoing support to continue the training program after the NSF funding ended.

This paper reflects on the lessons learned over the first six years of this project, documenting both the challenges that had to be overcome and the collaborations that led to the success of this workforce training effort. Specific suggestions are offered for building collaborations with individuals, public institutions, and private organizations to create sustainable professional development programs for STEM audiences.