2020 NCATC President's Message

On behalf of the Board of Directors, our community college members and strategic partners across the country, welcome to the National Coalition for Advanced Technology Centers (NCATC). I am honored to serve as President this year and look forward to meeting you. As an affiliated council of the American Association of Community Colleges, NCATC catalyzes its network of higher education and industry-led Strategic Partner resources to advocate, advise, and promote the use of advanced technology applications to enhance economic and workforce development programs and services. As we move into a new decade, our work is paramount to the American economy and its workforce.  In the 2019 Manufacturing Industry Outlook[1], Deloitte noted that the limited labor market was a significant and ongoing constraint on industry growth as manufacturers struggled to fill key technical positions. Recently the National Science Board[2]underscored that our nation’s “competitiveness, security and research enterprise” requires a strong STEM-competent technical workforce to advance innovation across multiple industry sectors. NCATC is strategically positioned to promote dialogue about emerging technologies and to showcase best practices in technical education like apprenticeships, competency-based education, the use of industry-recognized credentials to build curriculum and career pathways, and innovative techniques to engage adult learners and underserved populations.

As a community college leader with responsibility for workforce readiness programs, NCATC has provided me with a national network of colleagues seeking new ways to meet similar challenges. Whether your institution just cut the ribbon on a brand-new advanced technology center (ATC), or your college is committed to using existing facilities to promote advanced technology education, NCATC is your go-to network. In addition to accessing best practices from ATCs across the country, member benefits include discounted registration fees for the fall conference and summer workshop, reduced fees for technical consultation through our Member Assistance Program, and special pricing and discounts on products and services from strategic partners. This year I am especially excited about the summer workshop focused on the future of work and Industry 4.0 hosted by Gateway Technical College in Racine Wisconsin and our fall conference focus on advancing the technology workforce in 2020 and beyond hosted by Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, Nebraska. These gatherings provide an unparalleled opportunity to advance your technical education goals while building your network of colleagues and friends—join us.

                              Together we are building the solutions!

                               Kathy Rentsch, Ed.D.

                               2020 NCATC President
   

[1] 2019 Industrial Manufacturing Industry Outlook, My Take: Paul Wellener; Deloitte

[2] The Skilled Technical Workforce: Crafting America’s Science and Engineering Enterprise (Report #: NSB-2019-23), September 2019; National Science Board