Innovation Hub
What is the Innovation Hub?
What is the JA Innovation Hub? The JA Innovation Hub, now in pilot, is a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) career exploration zone within the JA World experiential learning center where students take virtual expeditions into local STEM career opportunities and the associated educational requirements. Each young person walks away with educational roadmaps that ultimately lead directly to the doors of burgeoning businesses with workforce needs.
What does the student experience in the JA Innovation Hub?
Students interact with touch screen technology to identify "Global Hot Topics" that pique their interest. By selecting a Global Hot Topic, students are introduced to a number of ways they could impact that Global Hot Topic. Upon selection of an impact method that appeals to them, two careers will appear within that impact area. The student selects whichever of the two careers they wish to explore. Three distinct virtual expeditions can be repeated up to three times in a fifteen-minute period. Each time the student begins another expedition, the Global Hot Topics change, exposing them to more career opportunities in STEM.
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How will the JA Innovation Hub be funded?
To build the JA Innovation Hub, funds have been sought from foundations, businesses, individuals and local government sources. To provide ongoing funding, each career in the JA Innovation Hub is available for sponsorship to local businesses, trade associations, professional organizations, institutions of higher learning, government agencies, trade schools, as well as secondary magnet and charter schools.
What are the Global Hot Topics?
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Climate Change/Global Warming
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Endangered Species
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Web Design & Online Networking
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Military Technology
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Enabling the Disabled
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Curing Disease & Managing Pain
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Feeding the Hungry
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Cars of the Future
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Space Exploration
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Green Energy
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Crime Scene Investigation
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Sports Medicine & Technology
What is the takeaway from the Virtual Expedition?
A one page report with three Career Roadmaps will be generated for each 15-minute session in the JA Innovation Hub. Students have the option to email the Virtual Expedition report to their personal email accounts. It will also be hosted on a secure website and available for download by teachers for use in a follow-up lesson in the classroom and for uploading the Career Cruising Student Success Plan (SSP). Each Virtual Expedition report will contain the logo of a local company with that type of workforce need, the title of an entry level position, starting salary range, logos of post-secondary educational institutions offering degree programs/training in that field, level of education required to start, as well as recommended courses to take in high school, and suggested GPA and SAT scores.
What happens to the Virtual Expedition Report/Career Roadmap?
In follow-up lessons (at school or at the JA World experiential learning facility), students upload the three (or more) career roadmaps to their SSP in Career Cruising, where it will be retrieved at course selection time by their Guidance Counselors.
How will the JA Innovation Hub be funded?
To build the JA Innovation Hub, funds have been sought from foundations, businesses, individuals and State and Federal sources. To provide ongoing funding, State and Federal grants will continue to be sought. Additionally, each career in the JA Innovation Hub is available for sponsorship to local businesses, trade associations, professional organizations, institutions of higher learning, government agencies, trade schools, as well as secondary magnet and charter schools.
Our corporate sponsors include:
How is the JA Innovation Hub experience available to students?
IMMERSION MODEL: Students will visit the JA World experiential learning facility in September or October for a 4-hour STEM Career Immersion Experience. This Includes:
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Independent exploration of interdependency of STEM industry growth and stimulating jobs in the overall community/economy in Delaware using businesses in JA World as the backdrop to the learning experience.
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Case study presentation on the economic impact of the Biopharmaceutical and related industries on Delaware's economy.
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JA Innovation Hub Virtual Experience (as described above).
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Students chart their course on the career roadmaps by convening in break-out groups to receive their customized Career Roadmaps. A structured question and answer period will involve each student sharing certain aspects of one or more of their resulting roadmaps aimed at getting students to think about the options they have today and decisions they make today relative to their futures. Students will pair off and ask questions of each other, and will then answer follow-up questions in front of the entire break-out group.
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Reverse Job Shadow where representatives from local STEM industry, post-secondary education providers and college students are on a panel where students ask questions provided to them as part of the JA Job Shadow curriculum.
JA FINANCE PARK AND JA BIZTOWN SUPPLEMENT MODEL: All students participating in JA Finance Park and JA Biztown will have one 15-minute JA Innovation Hub experience and will be able to email their career Roadmaps to their personal email. Roadmaps will also be hosted on a website for access by teachers in a follow-up lesson, and for uploading to the SSP, where indicated.