May 14, 2019
Media Contact:
Rosalyn Thomas
An innovative approach to workforce development in the Building Automation Systems (BAS) industry and STEM-related fields
The Association of Controls Professionals (ACP) is launching a new program called A STEP in STEM - Automation Skills, Training, Educational and Promotion in STEM. The program will launch in DeKalb County, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at Georgia Piedmont Technical College and will include four urban cities of focus nation-wide.
A STEP in STEM aims to promote diversity and achieve inclusivity within STEM fields and the BAS industry by providing students with equitable access to educational programs and career opportunities. The program also aims to provide students with the tools and resources necessary for them to succeed in the BAS industry by disseminating successful training models, which build awareness of middle-skills career pathways, and promote educational equity among underserved populations. ACP is spearheading the development of the nation’s first non-proprietary certifications for the BAS industry, and working with colleges around the country offering BAS curriculum to adjust their programs to the new certification.
"As a long-standing employer in the building automation sector, I learned first-hand how difficult it is to acquire talent for companies large and small in the BAS industry; a problem also common to the broader STEM-related ecosystem of employers,” said Brian Lovell, president and co-founder of ACP. “This program is centered squarely on building awareness and career pathway development into these fields, with particular focus on minority participation awareness-building."
Home to ACP headquarters, the company chose DeKalb County for its pilot program and Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GPTC) for its connection to the building automation program. GPTC maintains the nation's first associate degree program in building automation systems, which is a national model.
The program's goal is to influence more than 60,000 students over the next three years by using innovative methods to educate and enlighten students about the automation industry and its relationship to many STEM-related fields.
The program strives to increase the flow of new talent into the BAS industry and change existing perceptions of STEM by engaging students in a unique way and through a medium which they can easily identify with namely, technology.
The program is the result of a collaborative partnership between ACP and the Siemens Foundation and is to be used as the model of the recently-announced workforce training program launched by the Siemens Foundation – SPARKS (STEM Partnerships to Advance Real-World Knowledge and Skills), an initiative which Barbara Humpton, CEO Siemens USA, announced at the 2019 National Skills Summit.
“We’re excited to partner with ACP on A STEP in STEM, which will help fulfill our Foundation’s goal to expand economic opportunity for America’s next generation of workers and grow talent for relevant industries,” said David Etzwiler, CEO of Siemens Foundation. “With this program, we want to provide access, resources and support to students of all backgrounds in their pursuit of a STEM career.”
The first STEP is being taken with this program. The launch on May 14 will showcase some of the means and methods ACP will use to reach students and create awareness about this national skills initiative.
A livestream of the event will be available 6:00PM-6:40PM (ET) at www.facebook.com/acp21org/
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ACP is a non-profit membership organization with a mission to provide education and industry resources to professionals within the BAS industry. ACP and its leadership strive to professionalize the BAS industry through market research, publications, curriculum dissemination, laboratory design, and ongoing development of non-proprietary, accredited credentials for the workforce. For more information about ACP, its services and the program, visit www.acp21.org
The Siemens Foundation has invested more than $90 million in the United States to advance workforce development and education initiatives in science, technology, engineering and math. The Foundation’s mission is inspired by the culture of innovation, research and continuous learning that is the hallmark of Siemens’ companies. Together, the programs at the Siemens Foundation are helping close the opportunity gap for young people in the U.S. when it comes to STEM careers, and igniting and sustaining today’s STEM workforce and tomorrow’s scientists and engineers. For further information, visit www.siemens-foundation.org/ or follow @sfoundation.
ACP is a 501 (c ) (3) non-profit tax exempt organization whose mission is to support educational initiatives to prepare skilled building automation systems professionals for 21st Century jobs
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