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We work at all levels to support manufacturers. DVIRC's Regional Initiatives team spearheads our efforts to stay informed about issues and trends, work on programs related to these issues and keeps you, and decision makers within government, informed. From research programs, legislative communication campaigns, and intermediation and coordination of efforts with other economic development organizations, through aggressive proposal development for resources, to nationally-recognized workforce development and education efforts, the DVIRC works harder for manufacturers in the Philadelphia region than any other organization. This section of our website will give you just a brief overview of what else we do, as well as provide a few resources for finding information such as elected officials and current government programs related to manufacturing.  STEM ProceedingsResearch Leads to New Breakthrough in Manufacturing Workforce education Applied Engineering Technology (AET) Program Lenfest Foundation Steps Up Career Awareness & Developement Project Lead the Way Career Awareness Library  Workforce Development and EducationWhile every area of effort has been important, our workforce development efforts have evolved, by far, into one of the most critical, and exciting programs for the Philadelphia region. Research Leads to New Breakthrough in Manufacturing Workforce EducationEarly efforts by the Regional Initiatives team involved various research programs, including workforce surveys and projections on hiring new employees. Click here for the most recent survey results. Through as series of focused activities, DVIRC is working to address the number one critical issue for manufacturers: lack of skilled workers. Recognizing that having a pipeline of skilled workers is a critical success factor for Philadelphia's advanced manufacturing and technology sector, our team set out to make something happen.  Applied Engineering Technology (AET) Program
With funding from a few brave manufacturers, and working with the Delaware County Community College and Drexel University, the DVIRC Regional Initiatives team helped to establish the first true Bachelor's degree pathway for manufacturing. The Applied Engineering Technology Dual Enrollment Program allows students to start earning college credits while still in high school that lead them directly into an Associates Degree at DCCC and a full Bachelor's from Drexel University. This breakthrough, flexible program provides the foundation for additional curricula now being articulated through various other Community Colleges and Universities. This program is part of the Applied Engineering Technology Career Pathways program, which allows high school students to earn up to 16 college credits while in their junior and senior years of high school. Students entering this program will actually be dually enrolled in either Delaware County Community College (DCCC) or Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) while in high school and will be entitled to all of the services of their respective college. Lenfest Foundation Steps UpProgram success following initial funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development led to a $150,000 grant from the Lenfest Foundation in 2003, which included a $150,000 challenge grant. To date, the DVIRC has raised over $100,000 to meet the Lenfest challenge from a broad range of supporters, including area private and corporate foundations as well as manufacturing companies. Click here for a complete list of supporters and an update on the Lenfest Challenge. Here are just a few of the institutions we're working with now:
The AET Program is just the springboard. This program gained national attention from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment & Training Administration, which recently awarded the DVIRC $3 million dollars over the next two years as one of several national pilot programs to help develop additional education resources and curriculum to begin to address the lack of skilled and educated workers by building out applied engineering technology educational programs and increasing enrollment in them. These flexible and multi-faceted programs will be used as pilots that can be rolled out nationally to address this critical issue. Click here for an abstract of the DVIRC's award under the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative. Career Awareness & DevelopmentRealizing the importance of engaging youth to pursue engineering-related educational pathways, DVIRC has been supporting and developing a number of career awareness and development activities for several years. One of the main annual events is the Applied Engineering Technology Conference for Philadelphia High School Students, a day-long event that allows students to hear from industry professionals and educators about career opportunities in advanced manufacturing and engineering. Project Lead the WayDVIRC has also been promoting and supporting Project Lead the Way—a national high school program that offers juniors and seniors the opportunity to learn about engineering and take college-credit science courses that lead to engineering degrees. For a list of schools adopting Project Lead the Way in Pennsylvania, click here. You will see over a dozen schools from our region listed. A recent conference convened by the DVIRC presented Project Lead the Way to an additional dozen high schools and seven post-secondary institutions. Both Lower Merion and Radnor High Schools have indicated they will adopt the program. Career Awareness LibraryOver the past two years, the DVIRC has developed an internal capacity for creating career awareness videos buy recording and editing the many events we sponsor or participate in. These include both local and national events and conferences, plant tours, educational presentations, and career overviews. These CDs and DVDs are available to educators throughout the region. For a complete listing and ordering information, please Click here. We'll be bringing you much more information on these programs in the near future. We're working on tools to help counselors, parents and educators learn about the new careers in manufacturing. We have plant tours and career professionals available for student and parent groups to see and talk to as well. For more information about these new breakthrough programs, contact us: For general information about the DVIRC's work on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Education and Applied Engineering Technology (AET), or to sign on to the Regional Compact for STEM Education For STEM/AET program specifics, contact Mel Payne, DVIRC's STEM/AET Project Manager at mpayne@dvic.org To learn how you can make a contribution to DVIRC's regional work on STEM/AET Talent Development contact James Logan at jlogan@dvirc.org
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