FLATE | Florida Advanced Technological Education Center of Excellence

FLATE Leads Expansion of ET AS Degree Programs

FLATE’s leadership fosters expansion of Florida’s ET AS degree program. Enrollments grew from 145 in 2008-09 to 1,525 in 2013-14. Completion of the associated MSSC Certified Production Technician (CPT) certificate also increased from 11 in 2007 to 2,336 in 2014.

In a survey of ET AS graduates, 92% of 24 respondents reported using the technical knowledge acquired in college in their jobs. A separate state study found that 86% of 30 ET graduates in a quarterly sample were employed.

FLATE’s Credential Articulation Pathways Address Florida Manufacturers’ Needs

In 2007, using FLATE’s established integrated credentialing procedure, the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council Certification (MSSC) Certified Production Technician (CPT) credential was aligned to the FLATE-designed and Florida Department of Education-maintained ET AS degree program. This articulated, credential pathways model now extends into secondary, postsecondary, and workforce programs. In 2015, 21 secondary and postsecondary institutions offered programs with MSSC CPT alignment and articulation to ET AS degrees.

Leveraging the workforce-training pathway to the ET degree, FLATE and its Florida TRADE Consortium partners have successfully educated new audiences
including veterans and the underemployed. In 2015, this consortium reported that 450 students had applied their earned MSSC CPT toward college degrees. The use of FLATE’s pathway for attaining this employer-preferred credential has grown in Florida from 11 in 2007 to 2,336 in 2014. Many of the CPT holders have gone on to enroll in ET AS degree programs. Statewide, ET degree enrollment has grown from 145 in 2008 to 1,525 in 2014.