Toyota Commits $110 Million to PreK-12 STEM Education
Toyota has long invested in educating the next generation of its workforce, but this latest commitment raises the bar up several notches. The global manufacturer is putting $110 million in a new PreK-12 STEM education program called Driving Possibilities, which focuses on preparing students for STEM fields and on breaking down barriers to learning.
“We need to better prepare the workforce of the future by providing a broader education and getting the next generation ready for high-growth careers,” said Ted Ogawa, chief executive officer, TMNA. “In addition, addressing inequities that create barriers to success will help improve lives throughout the U.S.”
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Toyota is no stranger to such initiatives. Last year, it invested $1.7 million in increasing engineering opportunities for underrepresented students at Kentucky colleges. In 2020, it funded a remote learning program aimed at students most at risk of losing interest in education because of the COVID-19 lockdown. Before that, it pledged nearly $2 million to American nonprofits supporting STEM education.
The Driving Possibilities program is being funded by the Toyota USA Foundation with support from both Toyota Motor North America and Toyota Financial Services. It is based on the success of the West Dallas STEM School, which opened last August as part of a collaboration between Toyota, the Dallas Independent School District, and Southern Methodist University.
The West Dallas STEM School serves PreK-8 students with a project-based STEM curriculum, provides teachers access to professional development, and coordinates community services. In its goal to meet student and family needs, it features not just after-school programs and a community center, but also a food pantry.
The Driving Possibilities program is a nationwide version of that program scaled up to PreK-12 STEM education, and it won’t focus only on supporting students’ STEM education. “Beyond the classroom, Driving Possibilities includes community engagement efforts focused on critical needs like food insecurity, job training and mobility services,” Toyota said in a press release.
The automaker is open to partnering with local governments, nonprofit organizations, educators, and other companies to provide those services.
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.