Clifton Park, N.Y. - Six schools across the country are being recognized this week for excellence in manufacturing education. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation (SME EF) awarded schools in California, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, and Oklahoma with the Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education (PRIME) award.
The six schools are:
- Hawthorne High School- Hawthorne, CA
- Wheeling High School- Wheeling, IL
- Walker Career Center- Indianapolis, IN
- Summit Technology Academy- Lee’s Summit, MO
- Fairmont High School-Kettering, OH
- Francis Tuttle Technology Center Pre-Engineering Academy- Oklahoma City, OK
Each of these six schools will receive a $10,000 grant which can be used to update the programs’ manufacturing equipment or software, or for instructor training. In additional, PRIME schools will receive $5,000 to launch a summer camp program to insure the pipeline of students interested in manufacturing continues to be filled. They will also receive scholarships and $1,000 to be used in competitions in 2012. The money, however, is not the most valuable part of the award.
The SME EF is a non-profit committed to changing the future of manufacturing education. Aligned closely with Project Lead The Way (PLTW), the SME EF aims to address the shortage of manufacturing and technical talent in the United States. Through the PRIME program, the SME EF will work with the schools’ manufacturing programs to create strong partnerships with organizations and businesses to provide a comprehensive community-based approach to manufacturing education. The PRIME program will bring industry and organization partners into the classroom, strengthening the PLTW manufacturing education already in place and insuring an even more relevant connection between the curriculum and the real world.
“SME EF is thrilled to launch the PRIME program,” said Laurie Maxson, youth programs director at SME EF. “We selected the six schools for their exemplary manufacturing curriculums, skilled and dedicated instructors, engaged and active students, and connectivity to the local manufacturing base.”
PLTW commends these six schools for their dedication to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and their leadership in preparing students for the competitive, high-tech, and high-skilled global economy.