Getting Down to Business in North Carolina

“We want a workforce of inquisitive minds. We don’t want somebody to take the notebook that says, “Here’s how we’ve always done it.” We want a workforce that can take us to the next level.”

“This pedagogical approach to inquiry uses the idea of, “We are going to be developing you as a student who can work in a group and ask questions of each other and communicate with each other and make your own presentation about what it is that you’re learning.””

“What it does is it shows that there is a solid alignment between secondary and postsecondary programs and industries to show that we’re trying to build a superhighway with multiple on- and off-ramps where students can get the careers they want.”

“Education is only reacting to what they think they’re hearing from industry, and industry is not a clear communicator because we can’t speak educationese. So, a lot of times, we end up with this weird alignment issue that misses the mark slightly, and 10 years later, we look at the output and we’re like, “Uh, oh, that went wrong.” . . . STEM East is addressing the issue. The conversation is happening at the table.”