RENTON, Wash., Sept. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA)
announced today it is awarding $6
million in grants to more than 50 nonprofit organizations
and education institutions across Washington.
The grants are geared toward programs that enhance STEM,
workforce training, and educational and career pathway
opportunities for students – particularly for underserved students
who have not historically pursued these career paths. Included in
these grants is $1 million to further
support students seeking a STEM education and enhanced learning
opportunities at local universities.
Boeing expects a substantial portion of its Washington workforce to retire during the next
several years and is working to ensure that students in the state
have the education and skills to fill these openings and move with
the company into its second century. These grants support Boeing's
long-standing commitment to Washington and will prepare the workforce for
these opportunities in the near future.
"Boeing will be a significant jobs provider in Washington for decades to come. Our hope and
goal is that those future jobs will continue to be filled by kids
who grow up right here in the state," said Boeing Commercial
Airplanes President and CEO Ray
Conner. "We are working hard today to give Washington students opportunities for
employment within aerospace, manufacturing and other STEM-related
fields when they graduate. Despite the always dynamic aerospace
industry, Boeing remains consistent in its investment in our future
here in Washington."
The university grants awarded by Boeing are:
- University of Washington (UW): $500,000 to help under-represented high school
students attend and succeed at UW, including support for the Dream
Project, which trains students to mentor first-generation and
low-income high school students.
- Washington State University (WSU): $250,000 to support new coursework and equip new
labs at WSU's North Puget Sound at Everett campus, currently scheduled to open in
2017. The campus' new Fabrication Lab will be named the Boeing
Innovation Studio.
- Seattle University: $250,000 for
the College of Science and Engineering to improve retention rates
of non-traditional students in undergraduate engineering and
computer science programs.
The additional $5 million in
grants, ranging from $25,000 to
$550,000, are designed to provide a continuum of learning
and education resources for Washington's younger residents.
Some of the largest grants will support: Thrive Washington and
its focus upon early learning; Washington STEM and its K-12
learning initiatives; and SkillUp Washington and its manufacturing
pathways partnership with community and technical colleges.
Contacts:
Deborah
Feldman
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Communications
425-266-7695
deborah.s.feldman@boeing.com
Paul Bergman
Boeing Commercial Airplanes Communications
(206) 724-7292
paul.r.bergman2@boeing.com
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/boeing-announces-6-million-in-grants-to-support-education-in-washington-300331417.html
SOURCE Boeing