COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: STATEWIDE MANUFACTURING AND APPLIED RESPONSIVE TECHNICIAN EDUCATION IN FLORIDA (SMART-FL) -ADVANCED MANUFACTURING IS CRITICAL TO THE NATION'S ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS, TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION, AND NATIONAL SECURITY, PARTICULARLY AS INDUSTRIES EXPAND THE USE OF SMART MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI), AND SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO STRENGTHEN THE SKILLED TECHNICAL WORKFORCE NEEDED FOR THESE SECTORS. A CONSORTIUM OF INSTITUTIONS WILL DEVELOP AND SCALE INDUSTRY-ALIGNED ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY PATHWAYS TO PREPARE TECHNICIANS FOR ROLES IN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING, AI-ENABLED INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS, AND SMART MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS. LED BY FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE AT JACKSONVILLE, THE CONSORTIUM INCLUDES THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, DAYTONA STATE COLLEGE, PALM BEACH STATE COLLEGE, ST. PETERSBURG COLLEGE, THE STATE COLLEGE OF FLORIDA, THE FLORIDA ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION CENTER (FLATE), FLORIDAMAKES, CESMII: THE SMART MANUFACTURING INSTITUTE, AND MORE THAN 300 INDUSTRY PARTNERS. THE PROJECT WILL MODERNIZE CURRICULA, CREATE STACKABLE MICRO-CREDENTIALS, AND EXPAND APPLIED LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT ALIGN EDUCATION WITH WORKFORCE NEEDS. KEY DELIVERABLES WILL INCLUDE REVISED STATEWIDE ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS, AI-INTEGRATED INSTRUCTIONAL MODULES, UPGRADED LABORATORY EXPERIENCES, AND INDUSTRY-VALIDATED STACKABLE CREDENTIALS THAT ARTICULATE WITH CREDIT-BEARING CERTIFICATES AND DEGREE PATHWAYS. THE STATEWIDE MANUFACTURING AND APPLIED RESPONSIVE TECHNICIAN EDUCATION IN FLORIDA (SMART FL) PROJECT WILL ALSO GENERATE SCALABLE MODELS FOR TECHNICIAN EDUCATION, INCLUDING THE BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP TEAM (BILT) APPROACH AND CREDENTIAL-STACKING STRATEGIES. THESE MODELS WILL BE DISSEMINATED THROUGH CESMII, FLATE, AND THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR NEXT GENERATION MANUFACTURING TO SUPPORT NATIONAL REPLICATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. THE PROJECT WILL STRENGTHEN EDUCATION?INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS, MODERNIZE AND EXPAND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY CURRICULA, AND BUILD FACULTY CAPACITY ACROSS PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS. ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE STATEWIDE SKILLS GAP ANALYSES, REVISION OF CURRICULA THROUGH THE STATEWIDE ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY ADVISORY BOARD, DEVELOPMENT OF MICRO-CREDENTIALS, DEPLOYMENT OF INSTRUCTIONAL EQUIPMENT, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR OVER 60 INSTRUCTORS. EVALUATION WILL EXAMINE IMPLEMENTATION, STUDENT OUTCOMES, AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CREDENTIAL PATHWAYS IN SUPPORTING ENTRY INTO AND PROGRESSION IN THE WORKFORCE. IN COLLABORATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, THE PROJECT WILL STUDY HOW STACKABLE CREDENTIALS INFLUENCE LEARNER MOBILITY. DISSEMINATION WILL ENGAGE K?12, INDUSTRY, AND NATIONAL NETWORKS TO EXPAND AWARENESS OF MANUFACTURING CAREERS AND DISSEMINATE SCALABLE MODELS FOR TECHNICIAN EDUCATION NATIONALLY. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM, WHICH FOCUSES ON THE EDUCATION OF TECHNICIANS FOR THE ADVANCED-TECHNOLOGY FIELDS THAT DRIVE THE NATION'S ECONOMY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.