With an engineering shortage plaguing the State of Michigan and students lagging behind in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), it is more important than ever for employers to get involved at the ground level and have a say in the education of the next generation of employees. On Monday, November 4, 2013, Project Lead the Way (PLTW) will hold a STEM conference for the purpose of developing tomorrow’s workforce and fostering economic and personal development in Michigan Schools.
In its second year, the conference will feature two keynote presentations and five track sessions focused on: PLTW Counselor; PLTW/STEM Best Practices in grades K-8; PLTW/STEM Best Practices in grades 9-12; Michigan Secondary District & School Administrator; and Business, Industry & Foundation.
Keynote presenters are: Terry J. Woychowski, ESD’s Immediate Past President and Senior Vice President of Engineering and Quality at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc., as well as Vince Bertram President and Chief Executive Officer at Project Lead The Way.
Project Lead the Way provides comprehensive middle and high school programs for both engineering and biomedical career paths. The engineering career path consists of 8 nine-week units that are taught in middle school and 8 year-long courses that are offered in high school. The biomedical sciences career path consists of four high school courses. PLTW programs are being offered to over 450,000 students in more than 4,700 schools, in all 50 states.
There are currently 118 schools offering PLTW programs in Michigan. Each course concludes with a standardized test to gauge student performance and is cross-walked with the Michigan Merit Curriculum. Upon completion of the program students are offered the opportunity to take an exam, which upon successful completion, will provide college credit at numerous universities, including; Eastern Michigan University, Lawrence Technological University, and Kettering University.
Cost to attend the conference is: $30 for educators and $50 for employers to cover the cost of food and beverage. For more information or to register, visit: http://pltwmichigan.org/.
Founded in 1895, ESD is a multi-disciplinary society uniting engineering, scientific and allied professions to enhance professional development and foster excitement in math and science to produce our next generation of leaders. Serving this generation of engineers and fostering the next. For more information, visit www.esd.org.
