Charleston, SC —In a move that could eventually help to ease the potential shortage of engineering and technical personnel in the U.S., a partnership between several organizations is helping young people explore engineering and technical careers. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Education Foundation has joined with Project Lead the Way and the Silver Crescent Foundation to administer the first STEPS Academy for middle school children in South Carolina during summer 2007. STEPS stands for science, technology, and engineering preview summer.
The program consists of a one-week day camp designed to give students a real-world view of engineering and technical careers using a fun and challenging project-based approach. The curriculum creates a pipeline for students to enter more successfully post-secondary education and pursue high-quality, knowledge-intensive jobs in the future.
Technology advances and globalization of the economy are creating new challenges for students entering the workforce, academy organizers point out, adding that employers are requiring a more skilled workforce as the number of U.S. engineering graduates is decreasing. In 2005, South Carolina passed an Education and Economic Development Act, which established a system to address these challenges.
For more on these organizations and their activities, visit their Websites by clicking on the links below:
Silver Crescent Foundation
SME Education Foundation
Project Lead the Way
—Control Engineering Daily News Desk
Jeanine Katzel , senior editor