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Case Study: TechNL High School Tech Immersion Program

Find out what’s new at Ampere, and within our extensive partner network, as we work with rural, remote and Indigenous communities to ensure that everyone has the power to embrace the power that STEAM creates.

The Opportunity:

Our partner, a not-for-profit industry association representing Newfoundland and Labrador’s technology and innovation sector for more than 30 years, started the High School Tech Immersion Program in 2021. The goal of the program is to rejuvenate the industry in the province by introducing young people to tech-focused companies and careers through internships and training programs.

The program consisted of two elements, one being an internship with a sponsor company, the other being a six-week training program that would support learners’ goals to build in-demand technical skills as they prepare to enter the tech industry. This is where Ampere’s experience as a national STEAM education organization came into play.

In 2023, Ampere, known as Pinnguaq at the time, was asked to develop a curriculum for the training program, to deliver the course content and to ensure a meaningful learning experience for participants. Specific deliverables included:

  • Develop a curriculum plan including learning outcomes, examples of learning activities, resources, and a plan for assessing learning.
  • Facilitate curriculum delivery including set-up on a virtual platform and a week-by-week plan for curriculum delivery and assessments
  • Build a plan for managing virtual learners across a wide scope of ability, experience, and backgrounds and a plan to support student learning throughout the boot camp.
  • Attend meetings and participate in discussions with techNL regarding program details, student cohort, and feedback throughout the program.
  • Delivery of a brief final report following the end of the program summarizing any learnings and describing the success of the program.

The Approach

Ampere’s approach is rooted in co-design – it’s a concept that goes beyond delivering the specific requests of our client or partner (simply checking boxes) to understanding the needs and interests of the learners and employers involved. With respect to this immersion program, our process included:

Initial interest and input surveys: Two variations of input surveys were sent – one to program participants and the other to employers who would be hosting the learners through the internship element of the program. These surveys were used to gain insight into what skills the sponsor companies would benefit from, as well as what the learners themselves were interested in exploring.

Program design: Using the information from the surveys, we designed a program that would engage participants, address the subjects they were most interested in that would simultaneously benefit their employers and prepare them for a meaningful career beyond the program. Working with our partner, this co-design process helped ensure an impactful experience.

Program delivery: Through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning, we supported participants along their educational journey as they explored topics such as web development, coding, social media marketing, specific software tools such as Office and Google Drive, graphic design, project management, game design and more.

Post-program feedback surveys: It’s crucial that we embrace every opportunity to learn and improve, and one of the ways we embrace this growth mindset is through feedback. We asked the participants to review their experiences honestly to help us see clearly how they felt about the curriculum, the delivery and the impact of what they learned.

The Results

In total, 34 learners completed the program, the vast majority of which rated their enjoyment of the program as at least 4 out of 5 (91% of the 32 learners who responded to the final survey). Furthermore, 97% of survey respondents rated their interest in continuing their journey of learning more tech-based skills at least 4 out of 5. It’s a great sign for the rejuvenation of the province’s tech industry, which is our partner’s goal.

Participants appreciated the balance between synchronous and asynchronous learning, and felt the supportive and inclusive environment enhanced the overall experience, noting that the way Ampere facilitated the lessons allowed for a seamless blend of creativity and skill development.

“As someone passionate about coding, the instructors’ guidance during coding sessions was invaluable, helping me improve my coding proficiency and produce high-quality projects. The mentorship provided was particularly noteworthy, as their expertise and insights added immense value to the program,” said one learner.

“It was really cool to hear from people in the tech sector about what their jobs were about. It was really informative because I didn’t know a lot of the jobs existed. Everyday I learned more, and when I think back at what I’ve learned in only six weeks, it is crazy!”

Our partner was impressed by how much the students learned through the program, particularly the diversity of the final projects.

“We loved seeing the final projects from all the students, the variety was the most impressive part to me. I’m so glad there were multiple options for all the different students in the program. What an amazing partnership indeed,” said a program manager with our partner organization.

The partnership was so successful, Ampere collaborated with TechNL for the High School Tech Immersion program again during the summer of 2024.

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