Workforce Development
& Education
OVERVIEW
The ROC/FLX OPI+L ecosystem has a long history of collaboration among industry, education, nonprofits, and government partners. Building on these relationships, the STELLAR Engine aims to evolve this network into a cohesive and highly collaborative Workforce Training Community—a coordinated system that offers job-seekers clear access to education and training, support, and career pathway points of entry. Central to this model is the establishment of the OPI+L Workforce Corps made up of OPI+L Career Navigators who will connect as peers and guide each group of career-seeker to resources they need; Stakeholder Liaisons representing the groups of the ecosystem who will design the interactive processes needed to enhance the ways that the entire ROC/FLX community collaborates; and a lead Concierge for each of the three regions that make up the 11-county ROC/FLX region of service.
Workforce Education &
Training Community
Ecosystem Model
DISCOVER
Our Core Projects
1
Implement Operational Plan
Build collaborative workforce development processes that engage all stakeholder groups across the ROC/FLX region. This will require conducting assessments and a gap analysis of existing educational and career development programs, setting benchmarks, and establishing measures to track progress. Using findings from the studies, the collaborative operational processes of the workforce ecosystem will be set and the OPIL Workforce Corps will be deployed.
2
Unify & Expand Educational Offerings
Based on existing optics, photonics, and laser training and degree-program models, prepare curriculum development plan for laser manufacturing career pathways across all grade levels and degree programs.
3
Develop Innovative & Immersive Curricula
Study best practices used in other advanced manufacturing sectors and build off NSF/ATE-sponsored initiatives that use immersive technologies for instructional delivery. In parallel, deploy the AR Alliance of the UR/Meta Center for Extended Reality to develop laser-based systems for AR displays.
4
Recruit & Retain Students
Working with practitioners who provide career counseling services and with college admissions and student success staff, develop tools for use with students interested in laser- and optics-manufacturing careers. To raise awareness about OPIL careers, prepare and begin to deploy a regionwide marketing & community outreach plan.
OUR GOALS
Over the next 10 years, STELLAR will achieve:
Year 0-1:
Startup
Operational implementation
Assessments and gap analysis
Set collaborative workforce development processes
Prepare curriculum development plan
Years 1-3:
Translation
50 added trainees in WFD pipeline
50 added students in UR/RIT programs
Adjacent funding: $2M/year
Years 3-5:
Prototype
75 added trainees in WFD pipeline
75 added students in UR/RIT programs
Adjacent funding: $5M/year
Years 5-7:
Commercialize
100 added trainees in WFD pipeline
100 added students in UR/RIT programs
Adjacent funding: $8M/year