How NSF Funding Helps My College Educate for the Present and Future of Work

Daniel Phelan

This article was produced as part of New America's Future of Work and the Innovation Economy Initiative's ongoing research on science & tech, workforce, and economic development policy and practice innovation. Share this article and your thoughts with us on X, Bluesky, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and subscribe to our Future of Work Bulletin newsletter to stay current on our latest research, events, and writing.

The author served as a panelist during a recent Capitol Hill briefing co-hosted by New America's Future of Work and Innovation Economy initiative, the American Association of Community Colleges, and the bipartisan R&D Congressional Caucus.

In today's economy, the pace of technological change is relentless, and the demand for a skilled, adaptable workforce has never been greater. For community colleges like Jackson College in Michigan, the challenge, and the opportunity, is clear: to educate and prepare students not just for the jobs of today, but for the careers of tomorrow, especially in light of a national focus on reshoring manufacturing, technology, and other industries.

The National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) program plays a vital role in helping us meet that challenge. Through our NSF-ATE grants, Jackson College is delivering innovative programs that directly respond to the evolving needs of employers and industry. One of our most impactful initiatives centers on blockchain technology, a field with far-reaching applications in logistics, health care, manufacturing, and cybersecurity. Thanks to NSF support, we've built a program that intends to teach not just the theory of distributed ledger systems, but the hands-on, applied skills students need to enter the workforce with confidence and purpose.

This kind of funding is unique. Unlike general operational dollars or categorical state aid, NSF-ATE grants are strategic and catalytic. They drive us to collaborate closely with industry, adapt our curriculum in real time, and deliver tangible outcomes for students, for employers, and for the broader economy.

These grants are also highly intentional about fostering alignment with regional and national priorities.

At Jackson College, we've used this funding to create partnerships with employers such as Consumers Energy, Alro Steel, and Henry Ford Health, all of whom help shape our training pathways. These partnerships are not symbolic-they are essential. They ensure that our programs lead to jobs that are high-skill, high-demand, and high-wage.

Beyond our campus, I have had the privilege of serving as a regional network coordinator for the Community College Presidents' Initiative in STEM (CCPI-STEM). In this role, I've worked with fellow presidents across multiple states to promote best practices, scale innovation, and bring forward the voices of community colleges in national STEM workforce development efforts. Our collective experiences point to the same truth: NSF-ATE funding works. It drives innovation, enables agility, and produces measurable returns for communities and the nation.

Critically, these investments support students from all walks of life - first-generation learners, working adults, military veterans, and others who often seek the kind of rapid, affordable, and career-connected education that community colleges uniquely provide. At Jackson College, many of our NSF-ATE students earn stackable credentials, secure internships, and move quickly into the workforce. These are not abstract outcomes - they are life-changing opportunities.

There's another dimension to this work that cannot be ignored. Many of the technologies we are training students in cybersecurity, secure digital infrastructure, energy resilience are directly tied to national security. Building a pipeline of skilled technicians in these fields is not just smart economics. It's a matter of readiness and resilience in an increasingly complex global landscape.

That's why it is essential that Congress continues to invest robustly in the National Science Foundation. I urge appropriators in both the Senate and House to support no less than $9.9 billion in NSF funding in the coming fiscal year. This investment is not simply about academic research. It is about economic competitiveness, regional prosperity, and America's leadership in innovation.

At Jackson College, we are proud to be doing this work and we are proud to do it in partnership with NSF, our regional employers, and the broader community college movement. Together, we are educating for both the present and the future of work.