Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology hailed as model for inclusive innovative science programs

The state education and labor secretary traveled to the Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology on Friday to praise the institution’s innovative education that can lead to career opportunities in the sciences for high school and college students from marginalized communities.

During the Institute’s panel discussion, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and U.S. Secretary of Labor and former Boston Mayor Martin Walsh emphasized the importance of partnerships between K-12 schools, universities and employers, The focus is on “career-related learning” or education that prepares students for practical work. They say the institute is a shining example of what all schools across the country can do to enable students to access higher education, build a more equitable workforce and rebuild the economy.

“Every high school in this country needs to have an early college experience program that gives our students the opportunity to see who they can be, even if they don’t dream that high,” Cardona said. “If you don’t, you have to be an outlier.”

Cardona says K-12 education, post-secondary institutions and workforce partners are too “isolated” and need to be integrated through experiential learning to provide as many career options as possible for all students, regardless of race, gender or socioeconomic background .This reflects He said the economic blueprint proposed by the Biden administration — a plan to rebuild the U.S. economy and create more high-paying jobs.

Jayvonte Odom, who received an associate’s degree in construction management from the college in 2021 and is a spokesperson for the panel, said he chose to attend the university because the students there look like him and come from a similar community. Being surrounded by people like him gave him the courage to pursue a career in architecture. Today, he works as an engineering assistant at Turner Construction in Boston, He says.

Massachusetts District 7 Representative Ayanna Pressley, who attended the event, said students like Odom are proof that students of color are well-equipped to succeed in STEM or science, technology, engineering and math jobs.but many of them Not getting the chance highlights why institutions like the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology need to exist nationally.

“What is this model [at the Institute] Proof that there is no shortage of talent. Just lack of opportunity. That’s exactly why we need to invest today,” Presley said. “When we invest in our human infrastructure, it generates the greatest return. “

Speakers said legislation such as the Reducing Inflation Act, the Chips and Science Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act invests federal funds in climate change initiatives, infrastructure and clean energy, creating jobs in these areas . Cardona said he and Walsh want to make sure the school prepares students, especially students of color and women, for these new jobs, and they will follow the example of Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology.

“I am proud that in our budget proposal, the President committed $200 million to career-related learning. We need to systematize what Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology is doing and ensure our students have an equal chance of success ,” Cardona said.

Walsh added that the Labor Department has prioritized creating jobs with benefits, union opportunities and well-paying jobs for marginalized workers through the Good Jobs Initiative, and now is the time to focus those efforts by making STEM education more accessible to minorities Public where they are needed most.

“We need to pay more attention to industries that need talent,” Walsh said. “Our training has to be more deliberate.”

To give women and people of color more STEM career opportunities, Walsh said the Department of Labor is working with the Department of Education and the American Federation of Teachers to recruit more STEM educators, invest in community colleges and higher education institutions, and make efforts to Expose students to learning STEM at a young age.

“We actually have to show young people what the results of STEM education are,” Walsh said. “They have to feel it and see it.”


Katie Mogg can be contacted at katie.mogg@globe.com.Follow her on Twitter @j0urnalistikatie



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