PASCAGOULA, Miss. – Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and Chevron announced a national partnership on Wednesday, a $6 million initiative that will bring PLTW’s world-class science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education programs to thousands more students across the United States. With this announcement, Chevron becomes an official “National Partner” of PLTW, the highest designation of partnership with PLTW.
The announcement took place in front of teachers and students at St. Martin High School in Ocean Springs, Miss. St. Martin is the first school along the Mississippi coast to offer students the opportunity to take PLTW courses and only the third school in the state to offer PLTW. The announcement included a specific commitment for growing the number of PLTW programs in Mississippi as well as a larger, national-level commitment that spans multiple states. Chevron Pascagoula, Miss., Refinery General Manager Tom Kovar presented PLTW President and CEO Vince Bertram with a check for $500,000 to expand within Mississippi and announced Chevron’s larger, national commitment. The Chevron National Partnership totals $6 million over three years, with funds supporting national initiatives as well as going directly into schools where Chevron operates.
“We know there is a pressing need across our states to ensure that today’s students are best prepared to fill these jobs. Our company, our vendors, and other business partners rely on a STEM-skilled workforce that is prepared to meet business and social needs and compete in a global marketplace,” Kovar said. “By partnering with leading and innovative organizations like Project Lead The Way, Chevron helps support and develop STEM initiatives that arm students today with the critical skills they need to succeed in the jobs of tomorrow.”
Expanding student access to STEM education is an issue of national prosperity and security. The United States Department of Commerce reports that by 2018, STEM-related jobs in the United States will grow by 17 percent, nearly double the rate of jobs in non-STEM fields. The same report estimates 1.2 million unfilled STEM jobs by 2018, due to a lack of qualified, trained workers. PLTW is taking action by giving over 600,000 students each year in more than 5,200 schools across the United States access to high-quality programs that promote problem solving, critical thinking, and real-world application of learning.
"STEM education has never been more important for our country, and Project Lead The Way is proud to partner with Chevron to provide more students, teachers, schools, and communities with PLTW's rigorous K-12 experience,” Bertram said. “As a global leader, Chevron is investing in America's future by building a talented workforce of problem solvers, critical thinkers, and collaborators."
As a PLTW National Partner, Chevron is leading the way in forming public-private partnerships that promote STEM interests and challenges other corporations to join them at this level of commitment. Chevron has been a significant partner to PLTW since 2009, helping provide more than 5,000 hours of teacher training and contributing to the education of nearly 54,000 students in California, Louisiana, and Texas.
A select group of top corporations, foundations, and education organizations will join Chevron as PLTW’s National Partners. Together they will form PLTW’s National Advisory Council and will work alongside PLTW’s Senior Leadership Team to prepare America’s students for the jobs of tomorrow. Additional National Partner organizations will be announced in the coming months.
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About Project Lead The Way
Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the nation’s leading provider of STEM programs. PLTW’s world-class, activity-, project-, and problem-based curriculum and high-quality teacher professional development model, combined with an engaged network of educators and corporate partners, help students develop the skills needed to succeed in our global economy. More than 5,200 elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are currently offering PLTW courses to their students. For more information, visit www.pltw.org.