The University of Portland, working with Impact NW and the Portland Metro STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Partnership, has secured a $75,000 grant from Work Systems, Inc. The project, according to mathematics professor Stephanie Salomone, includes writing curriculum to help prepare youth in Multnomah and Washington counties for four high-needs career pathways: infrastructure, manufacturing, information technology, and health care.
The curriculum will be taught in a 10-week course, starting in January, 2016 and involving about 60 students total in Washington and Multnomah counties. The students are classified as “opportunity youth,” young adults ages 16-24 who have left school already or are at high risk of dropping out of school. The goal of the program, according to Salomone, is not to get them back into school or to get them a General Education Development (GED), but rather to open their eyes to possible career pathways and start training them to move away from jobs and toward careers.
The project will serve as a pilot program during the first year, and the goal of Work Systems, Inc., is to eventually make its curriculum available statewide. Work Systems, Inc. is a non-profit organization that pursues and invests resources to improve the quality of the workforce in the City of Portland, and Multnomah and Washington counties.
For more information contact Salomone at 7799 or salomone@up.edu.