In partnership with hyperlocal organizations in Brownsville, the Brooklyn Mobile Tech Coalition (BMTC) has developed a series of “on-site” field trip experiences for students as a part of New York City’s Department of Education’s Summer Rising programming in August.
The BMTC is a consortium of organizations joined together to provide a mobile K-12 educational resource for Brooklyn. To develop the first stages of a “proof of concept” model, the BMTC implemented a two-day pilot pop-up technology event (mobile drone lab and launch site) on August 3rd to 4th at P.S./I.S. 323, located at 210 Chester Street, to expose students to entertaining technology innovations and activities this summer.
BMTC’s mission is to attract some of Brooklyn’s most promising teens and propel them toward a bright future with increased skills, knowledge and connection.
While creating opportunities for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) exploration in multiple disciplines to meet the needs of a wide range of student interests, BMTC anticipates gains in school attendance, high school graduation rates and attainment of valuable skills and experiences, such as real-world work experience through internships and client projects, life lessons through community services and networking and the critical 21st century skills of cooperation, creativity, critical thinking/problem-solving and communication.
What if students knew right out of the gate what employers wanted? What if they could start exploring those careers as early as middle school – possibly 10 years or so before they would even be looking for work?
What if industries could secure a future pipeline of workers simply by connecting with educational organizations and saying, “Here are the necessary skills needed to become a certified drone operator.”?
When business and industry work together with information education systems, these “what if” questions become reality. Workforce development – building a pipeline of knowledgeable, capable workers for the future – really can be as simple as combining the efforts of those at the beginning of the pipeline (schools) with those at the other end of the pipeline (business and industry).
By immersing students early in STEM and CTE (Career and Technical Education) pathways, BMTC solutions show them the relevancy and real-world connections behind their learning, setting them up for early success. Additionally, students are exposed to various careers, learning exactly what it takes to become successful in different career paths.
Equally as important as the hands-on, technical skills students will need are the soft skills necessary to accept and engage with changes caused by the fast-paced growth of technology. The solutions create learning opportunities that build the collaboration and problem-solving skills needed for a lifetime of learning and working, the soft skills all employers want, but few have time to ingrain in their employees.
The future requires problem solvers, collaborators and innovators. Working together, schools, business and industry, and BMTC can prepare students with the mindset, skill set and tool set needed to thrive in tomorrow’s workforce.
Courtesy of Brooklyn Mobile Tech Coalition Team
