2011 Velocity Prep Program Analysis Laura Bellows Skillpoint Program Analysis Intern

Background Information on Participants This program was very helpful. I wanted to see if I really wanted to pursue a career in engineering. I was afraid when a person told us we would be working with other people most of the time. I like to be by myself. But finishing this program made me feel like I can deal with people. I really hope this program expands and reaches many people. I am only sad that I will not be able to participate next year. - ROBOTech senior

Demographic Information ROBOTech Participants Del Valle High School GREENTech Participants Eastside Memorial Green Tech Total Enrollment 172, Race/Ethnicity African American 5.9%17.0%60.0%18.1% Hispanic76.5%72.9%40.0%79.9% White17.6%8.8%0.0%2.0% Asian/Pacific Islander 0.0%0.9%0.0% Native American 0.0%0.4%0.0% Gender Male41.2%N/A50.0%N/A Female58.8%N/A50.0%N/A Economically Disadvantaged 70.6%74.5%75.0%87.8%

Household Educational Attainment ROBOTech Participants’ Households Del Valle ISD GREENTech Participants’ Households Austin ISD Austin-Round Rock MSA Less than 9 th Grade 11.8%15.3%25.0%9.1%7.0% Some HS, No Diploma 11.8%12.9%0.0%7.5%6.7% HS Diploma or GED 58.8%29.7%30.0%17.5%20.4% Some College, No Degree N/A20.8%N/A18.3%21.0% Technical Certificate 0.0%N/A5.0%N/A Associate’s Degree 5.9%4.5%15.0%5.0%6.2% Bachelor’s Degree 11.8%11.7%20.0%27.2%25.6% Graduate Degree 0.0%5.0% 15.4%13.1%

Student Information Grade Levels 41.2% of ROBOTech participants were rising seniors. 25.0% of GREENTech participants were rising seniors. Diploma Programs 100% of ROBOTech participants plan to graduate on Recommended or Distinguished Achievement Programs. 3 GREENTech participants planned to graduate on Minimum;2 moved to Recommended.

Velocity Prep Impacts I used to think that an engineer is a person that builds houses or really big buildings. Now I am looking into being a biomedical engineer, which to my understanding is a mix of medicine and engineering. - ROBOTech junior Personally, the thing that impacted me the most was learning about what components that go into an electric system and seeing that I actually understood what each component’s role in the design was. - GREENTech junior

Likelihood of HS STEM Courses Note: Participants rated likelihoods from 1 (Very Unlikely) to 9 (Very Likely).

Likelihood of Postsecondary Education Four-Year Colleges Majority of participants reported planning to attend on pre-program survey. ROBOTech participants “highly likely” to attend increased: 52.9% to 70.6%. Two-Year Colleges GREENTech participants “somewhat” or “highly likely” to attend increased: 70% to 80%. Technical or Trade Schools ROBOTech participants “somewhat” or “highly likely” to attend increased: 47.1% to 58.8% GREENTech participants “somewhat” or “highly likely” to attend increased: 60% to 70%.

Career Preferences and Knowledge ROBOTech ParticipantsGREENTech Participants Pre-ProgramPost-ProgramPre-ProgramPost-Program At Least One STEM Career 82.4%88.2%65.0%90.0% At Least One Engineering Career 35.3%70.6%25.0%55.0% At Least One Specific Engineering Career 17.6%41.2%20.0% ROBOTech participants increased their levels of awareness about STEM careers: mean of 3.47 to GREENTech participants increased their levels of awareness about the STEM job market: mean of 3.20 to Both ROBOTech and GREENTech participants uncertain about the minimum education they need to become STEM professionals.

Computer Skills ROBOTech participants increased mean LabVIEW proficiency: 1.71 to GREENTech participants increased their abilities with Google SketchUp and certain features of Microsoft Excel. Google SketchUp: 2.15 to Microsoft Excel for graphs/charts: 3.05 to Microsoft Excel for budgeting/finance: 2.30 to 3.25.

Participants’ College and Career Readiness Perceptions of readiness for postsecondary education increased: ROBOTech postsecondary readiness increased from a mean of 3.53 to GREENTech postsecondary readiness increased slightly from a mean of 3.50 to Perceptions of workforce readiness did not change much: ROBOTech workforce readiness increased from a mean of 3.76 to GREENTech workforce readiness stayed at a mean of 3.75.

Conclusion Working in small companies, I got a taste of what the real world was like. It was hard but overall I feel like a better, harder worker. - GREENTech senior [In ROBOTech Velocity Prep] I was able to interact with the engineering environment and just be somewhere where I felt that I belong. - ROBOTech junior