Dr. Mae Johnson, America’s first Black Female Astronaut said, “Never be limited by other people’s imaginations.” We expect our students to define their success by what THEY have accomplished. We want them to take ownership of their thoughts, ideas, and contributions to their classes and society. We want them to think outside-of-the-box to come up with solutions for tomorrow’s problems. The only way that educators can inspire their students to do that is to experience solving tomorrow’s problems and taking ownership of their own ideas. 

The Krause Center for Innovation has been a leader for the last 21 years in helping educators do exactly that. One of the programs that nurtures creativity, design thinking, and problem-solving has been the SPACE Program (Supporting Prototyping and Creativity in Education). Over the last three years, a diverse group of educators, community members, and aspiring inventors have participated in the program. They take the information they learn and redefine what their classroom, workplace, or workshop can look like. This year, we have an opportunity to offer the program at no-cost to educators because of a collaborative grant that was won with KCI partners Ignited for Education and Foothill College. 

The 2021-2022 California Apprenticeship Initiative (CAI): New and Innovative Grant focuses on a pre-apprenticeship program that supports educators who want to help their students better understand physical computing, circuitry, computational thinking, design thinking, and the “maker mindset”. Ultimately, the hope is that educators will inspire their students to explore industries such as semiconductors, computer programming, and advanced manufacturing. According to Deloitte, there will be a 10% growth of the semiconductor industry alone to over $600 Billion. This is just one of several fast growing industries that will require the students we have today to engage and proactively seek out. 

This is an opportunity that KCI hasn’t been able to offer previously, and we are so excited to offer it now. Not only will you walk away with the content knowledge, but you will also walk away with 18 continuing education quarter units from Foothill College, a Creately Ender 3 Pro 3D Printer, a Makerspace Coordinator Certificate from the State of California, and a community of like-minded educators who build long-lasting and collaborative relationships.