INDIANAPOLIS (October 1, 2014) – Project Lead The Way (PLTW), the nation’s leading provider of K-12 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs, announced today that Steve Forbes, the chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media, will be a keynote speaker at the 2014 PLTW Summit, Nov. 2-5, in Indianapolis.
The PLTW Summit will bring together more than 1,500 educators and leaders in the corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors who work together every day to help students develop the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. The national event will serve as a catalyst for collaboration and strategies that can help solve the education and workforce development challenges facing our nation.
Forbes will deliver the keynote address on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The best-selling author and two-time presidential candidate will highlight the critical need for STEM education that prepares students for in-demand jobs in STEM fields.
“Since the mid-1960s, American students have been slipping in what they actually learn in our schools, especially in the STEM fields that will define the economy of the future,” Forbes said. “PLTW has been tackling these deficiencies for a decade and a half, becoming the country’s leading provider of STEM programs for kids in grades K-12 and providing a blueprint for enabling students to fall in love with STEM subjects.”
“The PLTW Summit is all about finding and sharing better ways to educate the next generation of the American workforce,” Forbes added. “Our economic future depends on the success of efforts like these, and I’m honored to take part in the conversation.”
The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that jobs in STEM fields will grow 17 percent by 2018 – nearly double the growth for non-STEM fields. By 2018, the U.S. will have more than 1.2 million unfilled STEM jobs because there will not be enough qualified workers to fill them.
To solve this challenge, PLTW provides world-class curriculum, high-quality teacher professional development, and an engaged network of corporate, foundation, post-secondary, and community partners to more than 6,500 schools across the nation. Independent studies show that PLTW students perform at higher levels than their non-PLTW peers in both high school and post-secondary studies and are more likely to consider careers in STEM compared to their non-PLTW peers.
The 2014 PLTW Summit is sponsored by Chevron. Chevron believes that few things are more important to students and the future of American competitiveness than a quality education. Education is a building block for economic development and employability, and Chevron is proud to champion STEM education to arm students with the critical skills they need to succeed in the future. Since 2009, Chevron has committed more than $12.4 million to PLTW. The support has funded PLTW programs in over 100 schools across seven states, directly impacting more than 9,200 students. In 2013, Chevron became PLTW’s first national partner, pledging an additional $6 million through 2016 to further support PLTW programs across the U.S.
For more information or to register for the 2014 PLTW Summit, visit http://www.pltw.org/PLTWSummit.
About PLTW Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the nation’s leading provider of K-12 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 6,500 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.
###