2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Development of a professional engineering workforce, in addition to filling technical support positions in industry, is a growing challenge. Specifically, attracting New England students into university engineering programs requires new methods of recruitment, in part because of declining familiarity with the industry among young people and declining demographics. At our university, a workforce development grant from the U.S. Department of Education was undertaken to provide an “engineering bridge” for high school students, or others (such as nontraditional students), to encourage entry into the field either through eventual degree-program enrollment, participation in certificate programs, or as a pathway to an informed direct-to-workforce transition. A novel approach of a dual-enrollment course titled “Explore Engineering,” with an online portion introducing participants to multiple fields of engineering ranging from architectural engineering to renewable energy, combined with in-person, on-campus laboratory experiences, was developed and offered in Spring 2025. Instructors from each of the engineering technology programs offered at the university were involved in the course creation and instruction.

An important goal was for students to be able to visualize themselves in an engineering-related academic program or career after completing the course. Participants were introduced to engineering and construction companies in the state, region, and nationally. Also, topics related to artificial intelligence, workforce diversity and inclusion, and engineering history were included to complement traditional introductions of technical content specific to various engineering fields. This paper describes the objectives of the course, how it was enrolled, the general makeup of the student cohort, the characteristics of the online and laboratory portions, and observations related to the experience from both instructor and student perspectives. Plans for follow-on offerings and improvements are also addressed.