Across the U.S., equipment manufacturers are developing creative ways to inspire young people to pursue rewarding careers in manufacturing. Statistics show that exposure to careers and professions from respected and credible leaders and teachers has a profound impact on career choice.
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and the Equipment Dealers Association (EDA) are doing their part by sponsoring continuing education scholarships for Agricultural teachers. For the fourth consecutive year, AEM is sponsoring the 2021 National Association of Agriculture Educators (NAEE) Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (C.A.S.E) Institute Scholarship for agriculture educators.
The program will help agriculture teachers gain cutting-edge professional development experience so that they can then implement STEM-based agricultural courses in their classroom. Potentially sparking interest in thousands of high school agricultural students about a career in the equipment side of the Ag industry.
Applications for 2021 scholarships are now being accepted. The deadline is Feb. 28, 2021. Each partial scholarship is valued at $2,000, and all applicants will be notified of the results via email in March of this year.
“We have a great opportunity to help make students more aware of and excited about the opportunities on the equipment side of the Ag industry,” said AEM Director of Workforce Development Julie Davis. “The C.A.S.E Institute scholarships assist educators in their efforts to take their programs to the next level and help train and develop the ag industry’s workforce of tomorrow.”
To be eligible, an applicant must be:
• A current NAEE member
• A certified agriculture teacher who will be employed or is seeking employment for all 2021 in a program with a CASE course
• Registered for a C.A.S.E institute by April 15, 2021
“Over the past three years, the C.A.S.E. Institute scholarships AEM has helped provide have allowed teachers to reach more than 2,000 students with their ag science curriculums and excite them about a future in the industry,” said Davis. “This program is aimed at closing the gap between supply and demand for the ag industry. We believe working together to get people excited to teach and learn about agriculture is the best way to grow and sustain interest in our industry.”
Manufacturers and dealers are encouraged to bring the teacher and students to their facility for hands-on experiences beginning this fall. This supports long-term relationship building with the teacher and the students and develops a sustainable grassroots effort to increase the number of qualified service technicians and technologists entering the workforce.
The C.A.S.E Institute is a multi-year approach to Agri science education with rigorous educator training requirements and hands-on, inquiry focused learning activities for students. While C.A.S.E Institute currently offers ten courses, the Agricultural Power and Technology (APT) and Mechanical Systems in Agriculture (MSA) prepare students for the wide array of career opportunities in agricultural engineering. Students are immersed in inquiry-based exercises that emphasize in the math and science of agricultural mechanics and engineering.
During the CASE Institute, teachers will spend 80 hours working through nearly every lesson in the yearlong curriculum and learning how to deliver lessons in an inquiry-based way that will shift focus in the classroom from teacher-led to student-directed learning. To learn more about the scholarship or to apply, please visit: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/6164515/2021CASEScholarship .
