Helping Underrepresented Youth On STEM Initiatives
by David Vergun, DOD News
February 25, 2021
NextFlex, the Department of Defense Flexible Hybrid Electronics
Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII), is partnering with the
nonprofit Capital Youth Empowerment Program (CYEP) in Washington,
D.C., to launch an advanced manufacturing education and workforce
training outreach initiative. This unique initiative focuses on
underrepresented communities in the Northern Virginia region and
will guide participants into Science, Technology, Engineering and
Math (STEM)-based education and career pathways.
The Capital Youth Empowerment Program hosts parenting class participants at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington
on October 25, 2019 to raise awareness and build enthusiasm for career opportunities in STEM. A new initiative involving the DOD-sponsored NextFlex Manufacturing Innovation Institute and CYEP will help CYEP offer additional skills training classes in the future. (Courtesy photo by Capital Youth Empowerment Program)
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"The Department of Defense is proud to support this initiative
through our public-private partnership with the NextFlex
Manufacturing Innovation Institute," said Dr. Robert Irie, deputy
director of Strategic Technology Protection and Exploitation (STP&E)
in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and
Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), which oversees the MIIs. "This initiative,
along with other MII education and workforce development programs,
will build a future STEM workforce, ensure a resilient manufacturing
economy, and promote an enduring national defense industrial base."
The MIIs are public-private partnerships that seek to bring
reform and spur innovation in the military-industrial base in
accordance with the National Defense Strategy, said Tracy Frost,
director of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Manufacturing
Technology (OSD ManTech) Program. OSD ManTech oversees and supports
the MIIs as part of STP&E in OUSD(R&E).
Since the
establishment of the first MII in 2012, the number of DOD MIIs has
grown to nine, with the federal government providing over $1B in
initial and follow-on agreement funding to the Institutes. A network
of over 1,270 organizations from academia, industry and state
governments has provided an additional $1.74B in matching funds.
Formed in 2015, the
NextFlex MII is a consortium of companies, academic institutions and
non-profits as well as state, local and federal government partners
with the shared goal of advancing the manufacture of flexible hybrid
electronics in the U.S., Frost said.
Flexible hybrid
electronics is a technology for assembling electronic circuits by
mounting them on flexible plastic substrates. This allows the
circuit board to conform to any number of desired shapes, yet still
perform as traditional rigid circuit board.
In addition to technology development and
commercialization, NextFlex and the other MIIs also focus on talent
development for the advanced manufacturing sector. "It is becoming
increasingly important to the innovation capacity of the United
States to create impactful and inclusive strategies for developing
STEM-based talent," said Frost, referring to Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics.
One of the biggest challenges
in workforce development for science and technology is successfully
engaging underrepresented populations. "The U.S. relies on a steady
pipeline of innovative, creative and skilled individuals to maintain
our position as global leaders in advanced manufacturing," said
Emily McGrath, NextFlex Director of Workforce Development. "We want
to ensure we are providing the support and pathways necessary to
capture the talent available in our large and diverse population."
To address this challenge, NextFlex created FlexFactor ®, a STEM
outreach program, designed to familiarize students with advanced
technologies and the education pathways leading to careers in the
advanced manufacturing sector. The program is active in seven
communities across the nation, and will be launching in 11 more
communities in 2021. To date, the program has reached over 5,250
students nationwide.
Students participate in a Capital Youth Empowerment Program skills training class in Alexandria, VA
on July 15, 2018, designed to prepare them for STEM sector career opportunities. A new initiative involving the DOD-sponsored NextFlex Manufacturing Innovation Institute and CYEP will help CYEP offer additional skills training classes in the future.
(Courtesy photo by Capital Youth Empowerment Program)
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"NextFlex and its partners are expanding
FlexFactor, a proven middle and high school outreach program for
growing the talent pool in manufacturing engineering, to 30 labor
markets nationwide," said Dr. Jagadeesh Pamulapati, director of
Laboratories and Personnel in OUSD(R&E). "Manufacturing Engineering
Education Program partners, such as NextFlex, play an important role
in developing and fostering the advanced manufacturing workforce our
Nation depends upon to maintain our technological superiority for
years to come."
The NextFlex partnership with CYEP will
integrate FlexFactor into CYEP's outreach programming in order to
reach underrepresented individuals and engage them in STEM pathways.
"CYEP will help increase and diversify the STEM talent pipeline by
recruiting underrepresented and underserved populations into the
advanced manufacturing talent pool, emphasizing individuals who have
not yet considered higher education or STEM-based careers," said
Erick King, CYEP Executive Director. "This initiative will help
build a strong and capable U.S. manufacturing workforce, which is a
critical component of the national security innovation base."
The NextFlex-led initiative with
CYEP includes "wraparound" services that provide the critical
support many underserved and at-risk populations need in order to
access higher education and employment and break the cycle of
generational poverty. These wraparound services include parenting
classes related to childhood education, assistance with food and
housing insecurity, and transportation. This foundational support is
coupled with career readiness and professional communication
training, economic stability workshops, and technical skills
training. NextFlex selected CYEP as a local partner because of
CYEP's success in working with young people, single parents, and
community members in the National Capital Region. The project will
formally kick off on April 1, 2021 and continue for five years if
successful, said McGrath. "It will be evaluated on an annual basis
for effectiveness in supporting participants as they achieve social
and economic stability, moving into education and employment
pathways over time. Our goal is to formalize an approach to
successfully engaging underrepresented and at-risk populations with
the STEM sector through a range of social and economic stability
support services. Once we have solidified this approach and
determine that it meets success metrics, we will export the
framework to other underrepresented communities around the nation."
Broad STEM-sector participation is a critical focus for federal
and state governments as it directly supports U.S. economic
competitiveness, national security, and individual prosperity. In
addition to supporting these important economic and national
security goals, this NextFlex-CYEP partnership will provide
individuals with an important pathway to financially stable,
high-growth, and rewarding STEM-sector careers.
"Strategic,
intentional investments in STEM for underrepresented and low-income
youth are essential to creating diverse and healthy economic
ecosystems and provide economic opportunity for struggling
communities," said King. "Social, educational and technical skill
development are essential to a sustainable, inclusive growth path
that benefits our entire Nation."
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