Community

KST has created a regional economic development strategy that integrates Economic Development with Workforce Development and Education to foster business growth, economic prosperity and community vitality. The integration and coordination of these elements are essential towards fostering and maintaining a healthy regional economy.

The lifeblood of business is a qualified workforce that is both innovative and capable of implementing innovation to provide new products and services. This requires a technologically literate workforce consisting of motivated problem solvers with hands-on knowledge and experience.

KST finds that it is important to cultivate and challenge students early in their education to explore their curiosities in science and technology and illustrate relevancy of their course of studies to stimulate and motivate continued pursuit for knowledge and understanding. KST believes that these same instructional strategies should continue throughout one’s educational experience in teaching our teachers to have an in-depth, working knowledge of basic mathematic and scientific principles in order to form a firm foundation for creating exciting hands-on demonstrations and applications of these principles to real-world problems.

KST is actively engaged in building each of these three areas to ensure that a sustainable integration occurs that supplies the employer pipeline with qualified innovators and implementers. KST has implemented tangible projects and continues to provide leadership to programs in these areas.

Technical Employment Training, Inc.

Technical Employment Training, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit business and education cooperative was formed by Kelly Space & Technology, Inc., in partnership with the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBSS) to provide manufacturing trades education and hands-on machinist skills training to prepare students for National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) credentials. 

The curriculum for the Machine Trades Training Program introduces students to machining processes, safe operation, quality control as well as state-of-the-art Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) machinery. The classes will include basic math, basic blueprint reading, metrology, inspection, basic machine operations, Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM), entry-level CNC operations and team building and leadership skills.

We are so much more than another trade school.  Students, instructors and machinists are co-located in a real-world environment where…

• The machine shop is operated as a business…
• Students gain hands-on experience in an operational business setting while earning nationally-accredited certification in Machine Technology…
• TET contracts with industry to provide manufacturing services with unique contractual arrangements to cultivate prospective future employees for manufacturers and expose students to potential job opportunities…
• Businesses bring real projects to TET where student proficiency is developed on-the-job…
• TET provides students with job development and placement services to obtain permanent employment within the manufacturing trades industry…
• TET is establishing a contract employment job-shop service to provide students with temporary placement within the manufacturing industry with the objective of gaining full-time employment.

Education

At the Elementary, Junior High School and High School level, KST has developed tangible business-education partnerships to provide our students with relevant, exciting, hands-on instruction – not as an added burden to classroom instruction, but as a reinforcing tool that assists students in subject matter retention – all while meeting our critical objective to create an educated, high-quality workforce able to meet the occupational demands of our region’s key employment sectors.

Over the past several years, we have seen first hand the value of hands-on learning in motivating students to pursue knowledge beyond even their dreams – our students are only “at-risk” if we fail to challenge them to excel or provide a vision for the future with less than limitless possibilities. We believe that incorporating hands-on instructional strategies is an essential component of a well rounded curriculum necessary to capture student interest, motivate life-long learning and produce a technologically literate workforce

Alliance for Education

KST is a founding member of the Alliance for Education which assembles business, labor, educational institutions, economic development entities, community-based organizations and other stakeholders to partner in providing quality education.

Alliance for Education website

Kelly Space & Technology, Inc. Field Studies

KST has hosted several field studies at the former Norton Air Force Base to demonstrate the relevancy of a trigonometry standard to calculate the height of a parabolic arc by measuring the angle of inclination and the distance of the base. A parabolic arc is representative of the trajectory of a suborbital rocket.

Students are first exposed to the purpose space flight and the use of rockets in an instruction that “sets the stage” for the benefits of space and “frames the technology” as it relates to current practice and future applications. Students are then guided through the algebraic formula and its use and teams use a computer analysis tool to determine the altitude of the parabolic arc for various rocket configurations that have different shapes, numbers of fins and rocket motors. Students then graph the results to parametrically evaluate the sensitivity of variables in the algebraic formula. Students will verify their predictions during actual flight testing of rockets that match their computer model input parameters.

Teams are trained in rocket assembly, safety, countdown procedures and are instructed on how to measure angle of inclination and the distance traveled. Each team launches several rockets, record the results and compare their results to the computer model predictions. Teams then prepare written reports of the results and present to the class orally.

Upon successful completion of this field study, students will be able to identify variables, understand terms and enter values to solve algebraic equations; develop computer analysis parameters to evaluate the sensitivity of certain variables in algebraic equations; validate computer analysis results through testing; clearly and concisely report results and present to a group.

California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB) College of Education

KST has participated with our local university in support of its College of Education expansion program. KST’s contribution is to provide leadership in establishing a key focus of technological literacy for our math and science teacher training courses.

Norton Space & Aeronautics Academy (NSAA)

KST has teamed with the Lewis Center for Education Research to establish the NSAA near the former Norton Air Force Base as a laboratory school to document the results of new instructional strategies incorporating hands-on math and science education amidst an environment of academic rigor, discipline, motivation and encouragement.

Economic Development

KST has established the Aerospace Research & Development Center (ARDC) at the San Bernardino International Airport to mature and deploy critical technologies that provide advancements in aviation, space, homeland security, energy generation and related technologies for both military and commercial system applications. KST’s ARDC provides a hub for advanced development activities, drawing upon the significant local technical expertise and unique workforce to build a regional capability in leading edge technology developments.

As a center of technical excellence, the ARDC is attracting entrepreneurial businesses to the airport to participate in aeronautical and space research, development and operations as well as exciting, new, advanced commercial technology developments. Leveraging on the prior infrastructure investments at the former Norton Air Force Base, the ARDC is bringing high-quality jobs and key products of national significance to our region. KST is developing several key projects at the ARDC with significant regional economic impact ranging from rocket engine and launch systems development to ballistic protection and laser decoating systems.