On Wednesday, November 30, 2022 NC3 hosted a special pre-conference event at ACTE’s CareerTech VISION Conference for CTE state leaders, administrators and faculty to explore how to create or evolve schools’ trade and industrial education programs into high-performing STEM and advanced manufacturing pathways or how to start anew.

The event featured hands-on breakout sessions hosted by NC3’s world-class industry partners Snap-on, Trane, Festo Didactic, Copeland, Lincoln Electric, Kubota, Greenlee, RIDGID, and Tormach. Event attendees had the unique opportunity to get out of their seats to not only learn how NC3 competency-based programs bring value to both students and instructors but also to experience the power of hands-on learning in STEM curriculum-based activities led by subject-matter experts.

Dr. Angela Andersson, Principal & CEO of KTEC, Dr. Bryan Albrecht, former President & CEO of Gateway Technical College, Tony Oran, Vice President of North America at Festo Didactic, and Jeff Gaskill, National Education Manager at Snap-on Industrial, also led a panel discussion about best practices related to leveraging industry insights to drive relevancy in CTE programming and highlighted case studies showcasing how to best prepare the next generation of workers. 

Several of NC3’s industry partners also co-hosted an interactive shared learning experience in ACTE CareerTech VISION’s expo hall. This ‘NC3 Classroom’ utilized a shared space among partners to provide a 360-degree introduction to Industry 4.0 education and training and featured innovative learning equipment from Festo Didactic, Snap-on, Lincoln, Copeland, RIDGID, and Greenlee.

“This is the first time we’ve had a format like this with our industry partners at ACTE and it’s very exciting,” said Octavio Rojas, Sales Director for Festo Didactic North America. “The NC3 Classroom allowed visitors to gain a comprehensive understanding of what industry-approved education and training looks like for advanced manufacturing and Industry 4.0 careers. Our education and training comes from industry, for industry, through education and certification.”

Early exposure to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) is essential in developing crucial problem-solving, design, and critical thinking skills, and through early access to STEM and CTE competency-based learning curriculum, NC3 and our industry partners are proud to be preparing students to drive one of the fastest growing sectors of our economy: Industry 4.0 and Advanced Manufacturing. 

Thank you to the many of you who spent time with us at this year’s ACTE CareerTech VISION event. We hope to see many of you again next year in Phoenix, Arizona!