Dearborn-based Ford Motor Co. is expanding its educational offerings to 1,400 Detroit students in an effort to prepare them for careers in engineering, manufacturing, and information technology.
“These academies are an innovative way to invest in our future workforce,” says Felicia Fields, spokeswoman for Ford. “Not only do they help students make the connection between classroom learning and a career, they address our need for workers with strong technical backgrounds.”
Ford will provide training and professional development services to support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs to the Detroit Leadership Academy, Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men, the Detroit Institute of Technology at Cody, and the Osborn Collegiate Academy of Math, Science & Technology. Once the final agreements are in place, the schools will have the opportunity to join the Powered by Ford STEM Academy network, which offers student scholarships, equipment, mentors, and professional development for teachers.
Ford has four academies in three locations in Volusia County, Fla., Louisville, Ky., and Utica. Students attend their regular high schools, but instead of participating in regular classes their core classes are based on projects related to engineering, information technology, and manufacturing. The UAW also supports the academies by providing teacher externships, which bring teams of teachers into Ford facilities.
Ford expects to have 20 academies serving 7,000 students across the U.S. by 2020.
