Back to Sustainable Agriculture Project Outcomes
University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) Pathway to Employment received a $2,507,462 Round Three grant award to focus on improving fisheries technology education in Alaska by expanding and enhancing an existing Fisheries Technology (FT) certificate and degree sequence. The resulting program—Pathway to Employment—addressed an integral part of the Alaska Maritime Workforce Development Plan (2014), created by representatives of the state’s fisheries, seafood and maritime (FSM) industry sectors, Alaska state agencies and the University of Alaska. The plan called for industry, government, and educators to work together to increase the number of Alaskans in this workforce.
Defining Features of Project:
- Added two Occupational Endorsements (OE) to the program structure. OEs are a first level of credentialing, consisting of 14 credit hours of content coursework that can be completed in less than a year. This intervention was intended to increase outcome measures related to student retention, completion and post-program employment.
- One of the most successful modifications utilized in the Pathway program was transitioning coursework to iPads, including all of the courses necessary for achieving the first credential—an Occupational En¬dorsement that could be delivered asynchronously and which did not require internet access. This innovation also was cited as a promising practice in the program’s 2016 USDOL monitoring review. The change in program delivery was intended to increase student enrollment and completion.
- OE courses articulate with the certificate and asso¬ciate degrees in fisheries technology and complete the third modification—stacking credentials in the as¬sociate degree pathway in fisheries technology. In addition, the program sought to more closely align the associate-level coursework with that required for a bachelor degree. This modification was intended to increase post-training further education.
| Project and Outcome Report | |
|---|---|
| Project | University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) Pathway to Employment |
| Institution | University of Alaska Southeast |
| Outcome Report | University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) Pathway to Employment Final Evaluation Report |
| Industry Sector | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting |
| Grant Completed | 9/30/17 |
| Grant Amount | $2,507,462 |
| State Profile Report | Alaska State Profile Report |
| Participation Metrics | |
|---|---|
| Participation | 118 participants |
| Completed program of study | 22 |
| Participants earning credentials | 51 |
| Employment* | 16 employed after completion |
*= As of the time of the Final Evaluation Report
Source: Grantee’s Third-Party Evaluation