Local Nonprofit Organization Receives $500,000 Contract from Ohio Department of Transportation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Mary Welsh
(513) 378-8370
Partnership for Innovation in Education (PIE) Receives $500,000 Contract from Ohio Department of Transportation
CINCINNATI– (September 30, 2024) – Partnership for Innovation Education (PIE) was recently awarded a contract from DriveOhio, an initiative of the Ohio Department Transportation (ODOT), as part of its Workforce Development programming. The initiative led by DriveOhio expands upon its recent development and deployment of the free DriveOhio K-12 Educator Toolkit to support Ohio’s 1.6M students. Specifically, the program offers additional classroom, afterschool and summer programming for Ohio’s education partners, while also developing and deploying similar content designed for higher education. The DriveOhio Higher Education Toolkit is aligned to the Ohio Auto and Advanced Mobility Workforce Strategy, which seeks to successfully prepare Ohio’s talent for in-demand and high paying career opportunities in electric vehicles, advanced mobility, drone technology, and automotive, aviation and advanced manufacturing. The program provides educators and their K-12, career technical, community college and university students with authentic and immersive learning activities, career development, training, work-based learning, and resource access.
“We are honored to have been awarded both the first, and now the second, DriveOhio contract that will offer students access and industry skills prequalification so that they can be prepared to enter Ohio’s workforce in these emerging career sectors. It’s an excellent way for schools to pursue their workforce objectives, and it allows students to create their own future and gain invaluable skills with Ohio’s industry partners, while still in school,” said Mary Welsh Schlueter, Chief Executive Officer of PIE.
The DriveOhio workforce development program seeks to engage students from Pre-K to PhD featuring engaging outreach, industry partnerships, professional development and skills-based curriculum available fee-free. DriveOhio collaborates with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation in coordination with the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. Program goals include offering greater equity and access to underserved populations in Ohio, with programming emphasizing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) content and their link to success in obtaining in-demand occupations in transportation, computer science, business, manufacturing and engineering.
“We’re excited to work with the PIE team to continue expanding the reach of our K-12 Educator Toolkit – which has been downloaded by over 700 educators and workforce stakeholders – while also publishing our new Higher Education Toolkit that will build on our previous collaboration with colleges and universities statewide,” said Rich Granger, Managing Director of Workforce and Economic Development at DriveOhio.
About PIE CaseLAB®
Partnership for Innovation in Education (PIE) develops transformational educational and industry skill certification tools preparing the 21st century workforce for success in the global marketplace. With its CaseLab® program, PIE features first-ever career simulation and mentoring alliances with business, education and arts organizations, providing hands-on learning in the K-16 classroom. PIE is a 501c3 nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, awarded the GuideStar Nonprofit “Platinum” Ranking and is an Ohio School District Partner. For more information, visit https://piemedia.org or follow @PIE_Innovation on X.
About DriveOhio
DriveOhio is Ohio’s portal to advancing smart mobility. Together with its partners, DriveOhio has developed the world’s most advanced ecosystem of connected, automated, and electric transportation – on the ground, in the air, everywhere. In addition to advancing projects with cutting-edge transportation technology, DriveOhio is committed to developing the workforce that’s critical for this new and quickly-evolving industry. With a goal to engage Ohio’s emerging workforce from Pre-K to high school with STEM outreach programs and problem-based learning, DriveOhio will help students envision future smart mobility careers. For more information on the DriveOhio Educator Toolkit, visit: https://drive.ohio.gov/toolkit
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