Major Organizations provide grants to Gateway Academy Program.
Press Release Summary:
Industries committed to development of skilled workforce and keeping America's manufacturing sector strong have given $318,000 in sponsorship grants to SME Education Foundation. Funding will makes it possible for secondary-school students to attend Foundation's Gateway Academies, which are summer camps where students explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Original Press Release:
Major Organizations Support Future Engineers with Grants to Gateway Academy Program
DEARBORN, Mich., June 8, 2009 - Industries committed to the development of a skilled workforce and keeping America's manufacturing sector strong, have given $318,000 in sponsorship grants to the SME Education Foundation. The funding will makes it possible for secondary-school students who are aspiring to careers in technology and engineering to attend the Foundation's Gateway Academies.
Supporting this initiative are: American Electric Power (AEP) Foundation, Andersen Corporate Foundation, Capsugel®, a division of Pfizer, Emerson Charitable Trust, Ewing M. Kauffman Foundation, Ford Motor Company Fund, Goodrich Turbine Component Services, Haworth, Inc., H. B. Fuller Company Foundation, Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc., Kennametal Inc., PPG Industries, and Westinghouse Electric Corporation.
"Thanks to these generous organizations, we are able to continue helping steer young people toward careers in engineering and technology," said Bart Aslin, executive director of the SME Education Foundation. "Their ongoing commitment to science, technology, engineering and math education is essential as we equip the future workforce with the skills necessary for success."
Gateway Academies are summer camps where talented secondary school students explore careers in science, technology, engineering and math. The SME Education Foundation organizes over 220 Gateway Academies in 34 states, in concert with Project Lead the Way® (PLTW), a non-profit that creates innovative pre-engineering curriculum. The SME Education Foundation has invested $1 million of its own funds toward the Foundation's 2009 summer youth programs.
At each Gateway Academy, PLTW-certified instructors lead students in projects and activities related to engineering disciplines. The SME Education Foundation and PLTW are dedicated to filling the projected shortfall in American engineers, so a major goal of Gateway Academies is to motivate students to participate in Gateway to Technology courses designed by PLTW during the school year, and encourage enrollment in college-preparatory science and math courses. For information, visit www.smeef.org and award-winning Web-site, Manufacturing is Cool!
About the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation is one of the nation's leading non-profit organizations dedicated to advancing manufacturing education. It is committed to giving the next generation the proficiency they need to be successful in a world of unprecedented technological change and global competition by igniting the curiosity of young people about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The Education Foundation, created by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers in 1979 as a means of transforming manufacturing education in North American colleges and universities, has funded more than $27million in grants, scholarships and awards.
