STEM

This program has changed me; I’m truly a different person now than I was at the start of the year.” That’s how CHIP – the Caterpillar Hiring Innovation Program – student Cole Measheaw described his five months of hands-on training at Caterpillar East Peoria during a recent graduation ceremony filled with the students’ family, Caterpillar top leadership and CHIP organizers, members of the Peoria Public Schools and even local media.

Emphasizing the importance of workforce development and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Duke Energy recently awarded more than $1.56 million in grants to 46 Florida-based programs. The grants are administered through the Duke Energy Foundation, which provides philanthropic support to communities served by Duke Energy, with a focus on "K to Career" educational and workforce development initiatives, the environment and community impact.

Technologies like AI, blockchain, and cloud are enabling us to make significant progress on many thorny social challenges. But without thoughtful stewardship about how these powerful new technologies are designed, developed and brought into the world, they can also be disruptive in a negative way. Companies that are leading the way in developing new technologies must also lead the way in ensuring they are secure, trustworthy, fair, and benefit all people.

Duke Energy is expanding its investment in local students and workforce development by funding 36 education and training programs – totaling nearly $600,000 – in southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky. The grants, which are administered by the Duke Energy Foundation, will benefit and enhance educational programs focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), childhood reading proficiency and workforce development.

At the 3rd annual Women Transforming Technology (WT2) Conference in Palo Alto, with the theme “Inclusion in Action,” VMware (NYSE:VMW) announced it is collaborating with Stanford University to create the VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab, in the pursuit of dramatically improving female representation in leadership positions.

For many middle school teachers, taking part in a one-to-one initiative, where every student has a digital device for learning, has led to an existential search. In a technology-driven, student-centered learning environment, what does it mean to be a teacher?

The Siemens Foundation and Discovery Education are teaming up today to host the annual Siemens National Day of STEM. The day is designed to spark a national conversation about pathways to success for students through STEM and demonstrate how science, technology, engineering and math work together to shape the future.

Los Angeles Business Journal ranked Tetra Tech as the #1 Environmental Engineering and Consulting Firm in Los Angeles County for 2018. With headquarters in Pasadena, California, Tetra Tech was founded in 1966 and has grown to 522 employees in Los Angeles County, with 17,000 employees and 400 offices worldwide. Led by CEO and Chairman Dan Batrack, Tetra Tech’s full-service work includes expertise in water, environment, infrastructure, resource management, energy, and international development.

A growing issue for Duke Energy and many businesses is the gap between demand for skilled STEM workers and available talent to fill open positions. One of the ways the company is closing the gap is through our investments in education and workforce development.

“It’s exciting to see these experiences being made available to even more students,” says Victoria May, executive director of the ISP. “Too many students get to high school without the confidence to tackle STEM subjects or an awareness of the opportunities waiting for them in STEM fields. That’s why it’s important to make inroads with students when it matters most—in elementary and middle school.”