On the Move! Exploring Transportation Career Horizons
Debbie Jasek, Texas A&M University, August 2008, 34 pp. (167164-1)
A recent Southwest University Transportation Center (SWUTC) project entitled Go! Girl! provided standing room only participation for the career workshops and activities it presented. The number of agencies, schools and universities offering support for the program and requesting a program in their area could not be accommodated in a the time frame of a one-year grant. The need for middle school programs that explore career activities became increasingly evident as the project progressed.
The concept for On the Move! originated from success of Go Girl!. The team wanted to examine if the same type of program could be applied for both boys and girls and whether those activities would be received with the same enthusiasm. The goal of On the Move! was to create one day events that encouraged students’ interest in STEM areas and transportation careers. It was also important that the event could be easily replicated for future use.
A total of eight separate events were piloted to diverse audiences across Texas. Each event created using a slightly different approach for sparking students’ interest in STEM. All of the events were produced at a cost of less than $1,000 and all of the events were well attended and well received. A total of 1,175 students participated in the initial On the Move! outreach events and over 3,400 other students were reached through On the Move! career fair and science night events. Almost all of these events have continued to be replicated through other funding sources.
Keywords: Careers in Transportation, Careers in Engineering, STEM, Transportation Outreach Programs
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