Improving Educational Outcomes in Manufacturing Engineering Technologist and Technician Education (METTE)

Researchers at the Center on Education and Work (CEW) at UW–Madison are collaborating with four 2-year colleges in the Wisconsin Technical College System to investigate the educational pathways and outcomes of students in manufacturing engineering technologist and technician education (METTE) programs.

The goals of this research are to (a) identify METTE program features and individual and environmental factors that are associated with targeted student outcomes, including college persistence, academic progress, and successful employment, and (b) engage METTE stakeholders at participating colleges, local high schools, and partner industries in an innovative, iterative cycle of METTE program improvement over the 4 years of the project.

Particular attention will be paid to the impact of student participation in secondary/ postsecondary articulated transfer (2+2) programs. The project will engage a wide range of METTE stakeholders in a series of research and innovation activities with potential to (a) improve the quality of METTE program offerings, (b) facilitate meaningful educational experiences for students entering METTE pathways, and (c) promote long-term student success.

The project addresses the challenge of building U.S. capacity to support science and engineering workforce development, one of the major policy recommendations of the National Academies’ landmark 2005 report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm.