Abstract
Although demand for photonic technology is rapidly growing, there is a shortage of qualified workers to fill the industrial positions being created. At present, most photonics programs are available only at the graduate level; of the few undergraduate programs that exist, most are four-year engineering degrees. There is an unmet need for programs that can rapidly prepare students with minimal preparation to work as technicians in the optics and photonics industry. We report on a collaboration among Stonehill College, Bridgewater State University, and AIM Photonics Academy of MIT to create a unique photonics technician training and certification program that could serve as a template for other colleges or for other educational and manufacturing partnerships. This program, prepared with input from industry, consists of a mix of online, classroom, and lab courses (including both real-world and virtual experiments), with emphasis on hands-on experiences and apprenticeships with local companies. It is designed to rapidly develop practical skills in students who either have no prior technical background or who desire to quickly move into photonics from another technical area. The curriculum development model is modular, easily adapted across manufacturing sectors, focusing on skills sought by industry partners, with mechanisms in place for periodic feedback from employers. A clearinghouse for instructional materials will be created to house course outlines, syllabi, and teaching strategies for use by other institutions. Additionally, the curriculum will be sustained by making it “stackable” with other modules, training programs, and certifications aimed at other manufacturing specializations.
© 2019 SPIE, ICO, IEEE, OSA
PDF ArticleMore Like This
Samuel Serna, Nancy Hidalgo, Janice Tjan, Kevin McComber, Lionel Kimerling, Erik Verlage, Julie Diop, Juejun Hu, Sajan Saini, Anu Agarwal, Gerald Gagnon, Stefan Preble, Gregory Howland, Matthew van Niekerk, Jeff Steidle, Karl Mcnulty, Jaime Cardenas, Meiting Song, Miloš Popović, Anatoly Khilo, Pradnya Nagarkar, Farhad Vazehgoo, Ira Moskowitz, Guiru Gu, Cheryl Schnitzer, Edward Deveney, Thomas Kling, Douglas Petkie, and Jacob Longacre
11143_142 Education and Training in Optics and Photonics (ETOP) 2019
Margaret H. Stroup, Marjorie R. Valentin, Randy Seebeck, Joseph Williams, Deborah Jeffers, and Robert Markoja
WO147 Education and Training in Optics and Photonics (ETOP) 2001
Dan Hull and John Souders
ESCA1 Education and Training in Optics and Photonics (ETOP) 2009