OXFORD – The advisory board of the Innovative Community Collaborative (IC2) of Greater Chenango County held a quarterly project overview on Wednesday to provide updates on four initiatives of the Oxford-based IC2 committee as it prepares to enter its fourth year.

About 20 attendees were at the presentations held in the Oxford Academy Board Room to hear updates and brainstorm ideas pertaining to IC2's Work-Based Learning program, Pathways Plus program, RoboRaveNY, and Badging/Micro-Credentialing.

Work-Based Learning

Speaking first, Work-Based Learning Administrator Craig Tefft discussed the program which invites Oxford students aged 16 and up to work at businesses in the community during the school year for 10 to 12 hours a week.

Tefft said the Work-Based Learning program – which was the first innovative of IC2's in 2015 – opens student's eyes to opportunities in Chenango County while better connecting local businesses to Oxford schools.

Expecting 15-17 students to participate in the coming school year, Tefft said the program requires participating students to attend every class and to be motivated. On the employers' side, an understanding that the program is a learning experience and a willingness to meet regularly with Tefft are expected.

Students are paid as part of the initiative, Tefft said, and employers are reimbursed in part by funds from the R.C. Smith Foundation.

Tefft said the program has opened students to new opportunities, some that have resulted directly from Work-Based Learning and continued past graduation, while also generally improving students' communication skills and understanding of the business world.

Pathways Plus

Pathways Plus, entering its second year, is a personalized learning program open to Oxford students grade nine through twelve, affording students the opportunity to explore their interests and how they apply in the professional world.

Kim Murrer discusses Pathways Plus' first year, led by a team of eight interdisciplinary teachers housed in the school's learning center all day long.

Pathways Plus tasks students with evaluating career options relating to students' passions, while bringing in guest speakers and matching students with professionals in positions of students' interests.

Murrer said 35 students have signed up to take Pathways Plus in the coming school year and will be tasked with doing mini courses, ultimately culminating in an end of year presentation event at 6 On the Square in Oxford.

RoboRave NY

In April, Oxford schools hosted RoboRave NY, for the first time, thanks to IC2.

Mark Muller, who helped bring the international robotics competition to Oxford, said by introducing students to robotics at a young age, students become acquainted with coding, which can be useful in today's engineering and manufacturing world.

Muller said RoboRave is for all students, from elementary to seniors in high school, and is inexpensive, fun, and challenging for students.

The end result, Muller said, is to supply community businesses with a future working class of engineers and coders.

Badging/Micro-Credentialing

Muller switched gears from robotics to discuss a new initiative called "badging" and "micro-credentialing," essentially a new-era résumé where students can earn badges representing their specific skill-set.

Muller said IBM has been utilizing the badging system for over ten years to its benefit, and that IC2 has already begun working on a badging system that could be useful to pharmaceutical companies, like PharmAssist in South New Berlin.

Muller presented a web-based badging system where students can take different quizzes to earn badges for different skill-sets, incentivizing students to learn skills like coding while making it easier for employers to hire and assess its existing staff's skill set.

IC2 meets every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in the Oxford Academy Board Room. Its meetings are open to the public and its next quarterly project overview is scheduled for November 1.