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School tackles engineer shortage
By CANDACE RONDEAUX EAST LAKE -- In the coming world of school choice, where Pinellas County schools will try to set themselves apart by offering students something distinctive, East Lake High School will be the place for aspiring engineers. Last week, the Pinellas County School Board approved an innovative four-year pre-engineering course that could attract dozens of students from around the county once the school choice program gets under way in August 2003. Thirty incoming freshmen have already signed up to take part in a pre-engineering elective that East Lake plans to introduce this fall. The curriculum aims to acquaint students with everything from digital electronics to advanced mathematics and computer-assisted design. Dozens of freshmen clamored to sign up for the elective during orientation sessions for eighth graders in April, East Lake principal Clayton Snare said. In addition, East Lake administrators also have received several inquiries from students outside the school's zone. "We're real excited about it, and we've got a lot of support from the community for this program," Snare said. Several local engineering firms have already made donations to help defray the program's $52,000 cost for four years. The program is still trying to raise money to outfit the school with software and about 30 new computers. Program administrators are working on a partnership with Honeywell. Snare said Jabil Circuit, a multibillion-dollar electronics manufacturer in St. Petersburg, has already pledged $10,000. The curriculum was designed by Project Lead the Way, a nonprofit organization which promotes precollege engineering studies through partnerships between private companies and public schools. The organization has introduced the curriculum to more than 100 schools around the country. Twenty-three Florida high and middle schools have implemented the program, including four in Hillsborough County. Chris Lewis, Jabil's chief financial officer, said he hopes his company's involvement will help give local youths exposure to engineering applications in the real world. He said he plans to send Jabil engineers and technicians to make presentations at East Lake and hopes students will visit the company as the program develops. Students who excel in the program might be considered for entry-level technical positions at the firm. "Not all kids necessarily will be engineers," Lewis said. "But if they can learn technical and basic engineering skills, there are a lot of jobs at our company where you could be employed with higher technical skills." Educators and human resources experts say East Lake's training could help combat a severe brain drain in the engineering field. In the mid 1990s, engineering firms suffered heavy losses when college graduates flocked to the computer industry and Internet startups. Engineering bachelor degrees declined 21 percent from 1985 to 1998. Bonnie-Sue Brandvik, director of human resources with TBE Group, a Clearwater engineering firm, said the shrinking pool of qualified engineers has repeatedly forced her to look overseas, where job candidates typically start their training well before college. She said East Lake's pre-engineering elective would make local students much more competitive with overseas candidates. "It's critical that we get the enrollment up for engineering education," Brandvik said. East Lake's new curriculum relies heavily on educational software designed to help instructors and students keep pace with a rigorous course in mathematics, science and design principles. In July, Keith Arnold, head of East Lake's industrial design department, will attend a special two-week training session in Connecticut led by experts from the Rochester Institute of Technology. "We've determined that there's a strong need for people with engineering skills in our area," Arnold said. "Hopefully a person can even leave here with enough skills and get a marketable job." -- Candace Rondeaux can be reached at (727) 445-4185 or rondeaux@sptimes.com.
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From the Times North Pinellas desks Editorial Letters |
