Tech Directions - February 2009 - (Page 9) the news report Susanne Peckham susanne@techdirections.com Best Buy and EA Announce the National “Invent a Game Challenge” Best Buy and Electronic Arts, Inc., in association with the United Inventors Association (UIA) and By Kids For Kids (BKFK), announce the “Invent-A-Game Challenge,” a national competition offering students a unique chance to design an online game that Electronic Arts will produce. State-specific youth (MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA) will have an additional opportunity to win a $1,000 prize as well as qualifying for the national grand prize, a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond. Complete contest rules can be found at www.bkfk.com/Games. The challenge is open to students between the ages of 5 and 19. The deadline for entries is March 31, 2009. public about the many rewarding career paths within construction. The campaign will also include promotional brochures, hard-hat decals, job site banners, and vehicle magnets. Select items will be available for purchase at www.nccer.org. NCCER is a not-for-profit educational foundation created by the construction industry to develop standardized curriculum with portable credentials and to help address the skilled construction workforce shortage. For more information, visit www.nccer.org. ACTE Outlines CTE’s Role with “Green Jobs” According to the American Solar Energy Society, 8.5 million jobs were created in 2006 in renewable energy or energy efficient industries. The Apollo Alliance predicts that the nation could generate 3 to 5 million “green” jobs over the next 10 years. A new issue brief by the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), “CTE’s Role in Energy and Environmental Sustainability,” outlines the critical role career and technical education plays in educating and preparing students with knowledge about sustainability issues in order to meet workforce demands. ACTE reports that the field is responding to the needs of this growing industry by increasing the number of career pathways and providing students with an early introduction to career options and cutting-edge training. The brief provides information on secondary and postsecondary programs that offer sustainability curriculum and training as well as information on how schools are building state-of-the-art “green” facilities that are energy sustainable, cost-effective, and valuable learning environments for students. Examples featured in the issue brief include: • Power House High, a new char- NCCER Launches Cornerstone of Craftsmanship Campaign The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) announces the launch of a new marketing campaign to revive the meaning and importance of craftsmanship in the construction industry. The Cornerstone of Craftsmanship campaign is intended to re-instill pride, professionalism, and respect into the industry and rebuild a prestigious image of craft professionals. “Our industry was built on the foundation of craftsmanship,” said Don Whyte, NCCER president. “It is pride in craftsmanship that has attracted many generations of workers to follow in their parents’ footsteps. Reviving craftsmanship is crucial to attracting our future workforce.” The campaign will spotlight craft professionals who embody craftsmanship and demonstrate the qualities that make the construction industry honorable. Individual profiles will be featured in a series of national print ads and on the organization’s web site to help educate the general ter school located in the original Sears, Roebuck and Co. world headquarters in Chicago, opened in August with 112 ninth-grade students. The school focuses on curriculum themes of environmental sustainability and green technology and delivers instruction in an innovative “green” environment. • Columbia Gorge Community College, located in Oregon, has developed one-year certificate and two-year associate of applied science degree options in renewable energy technology to build a pipeline of workers for renewable energy industry jobs in the area. It’s the first program of its kind on the West coast. • Ohio’s Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County built a new addition to the school and renovated their new facility to meet LEED standards. The school doubled its size to 340,000 square feet; it used recyclable materials where possible and installed day lighting throughout the building. During the construction, C-TEC recycled 6,200 tons of construction waste, 94 percent of the total. “In order to meet the workforce demands of the sustainability industry, CTE programs across the country are creating new ‘green’ curriculum and classes, partnering with business and industry, and educating students on the latest technologies and skills,” said ACTE President Bryan Albrecht. To obtain a copy of the issue brief, visit www.acteonline.org/ uploadedFiles/Publications_and_ Online_Media/files/Sustainability.pdf Events Feb. 15-21. Children’s Engineering Convention. Virginia Technology Education Association. www.vtea. org/ESTE/convention. Feb. 15-21. Engineers Week. National Engineers Week Foundation. www. eweek.org. Feb. 23-24. Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education. Washington, DC. www.trianglecoalition.org/conf.htm. Susanne Peckham is managing editor of Tech Directions. www.techdirections.com NEWS REPORT 9 http://www.nccer.org http://www.nccer.org http://www.bkfk.com/Games http://www.acteonline.org/uploadedFiles/Publications_and_Online_Media/files/Sustainability.pdf http://www.acteonline.org/uploadedFiles/Publications_and_Online_Media/files/Sustainability.pdf http://www.vtea.org/ESTE/convention http://www.vtea.org/ESTE/convention http://www.eweek.org http://www.eweek.org http://www.trianglecoalition.org/conf.htm http://www.trianglecoalition.org/conf.htm http://www.techdirections.com
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