MATE Center: A Strategy for Improving Marine Technical Education

Abstract

A major goal of the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center is the creation of appropriate guidelines, assessments, curricula, and programs to provide students and workers with the knowledge and skills they need to excel in marine technology careers. About the MATE CenterThe Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center, headquartered at Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey, California, is funded by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) and has been in existence since 1997. The MATE Center is a national network of community colleges, high schools, universities, research institutions, marine industries, professional societies, and working professionals. The mission of the MATE Center is to improve marine technical education and in this way help to prepare the nation's future workforce for ocean-related occupations. IntroductionThe process of developing a competent marine workforce that is well prepared for employment requires collaborating with a wide range of people and organizations. One of the major tasks of the MATE Center is to identify and define marine technical occupations, and the abilities that men and women need in order to perform well in these occupations. The major product that results from this work is a set of occupational knowledge and skill guidelines (KSGs) for technical marine occupations. These guidelines describe what workers need to know and be able to do in order to perform their jobs well. The KSGs are different for each occupation. The KSGs developed by the MATE Center include those for marine