We believe it's the responsibility of industry leaders to invest in our future workforce. Reinforcing our 25-year commitment to the education of the future workforce, we have awarded two grants, totaling $150,000, to the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Education Foundation.
Since 1981, we've donated more than $1.6 million to the SME Education Foundation for scholarships and other engineering education programs. Our support helps advance the industry by giving young people positive, hands-on manufacturing experiences and exposing them to exciting careers in math, science and technology.
STEPS Grant
We awarded a $100,000 grant to support the SME Education Foundation's Science, Technology & Engineering Preview Summer (STEPS) program at the University of Detroit Mercy.
STEPS is a one-week summer camp that gives middle-school students a look into the exciting world of science and technology through hands-on activities. This early exposure helps students plan ahead and take the necessary courses in high school to prepare them for engineering degree programs. With our past contributions, the STEPS camps at the University of Detroit Mercy have introduced 427 young students to the possibility of pursuing an engineering career.
PAS Grant
We've also awarded a $50,000 grant to fund the SME Education Foundation's Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (PAS) Scholarship. The SME Ford PAS Scholarship is awarded to graduating students of the Ford PAS program, a high-school curriculum created by Ford that links classroom learning with the challenges students will face in postsecondary education and the workplace.
PAS students who are applying to college to pursue a degree in technology or engineering can apply for the annual $10,000 PAS Scholarship, which can be used at any accredited college or university in the United States.
About SME
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation is one of the nation's leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing manufacturing education. Its approach is threefold: to inspire youth to pursue careers in manufacturing; to support students studying for a career in an engineering-related field; and to prepare these students through its Manufacturing Education Plan grant program in colleges and technical schools. Since 1980, the Education Foundation has provided more than $19 million in grants, scholarships and awards.
The Education Foundation was created by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers in 1979 as a means of transforming manufacturing education in North American colleges and universities.
