PIE Awarded $250,000 Contract with DriveOhio
Partnership for Innovation in Education Receives $250,000 from Ohio Department of Transportation’s Smart Mobility Ambassador Program
CINCINNATI– (June 30, 2022) – Partnership for Innovation Education (PIE) was recently awarded a $250,000 consultant agreement from DriveOhio, an initiative of the Ohio Department Transportation (ODOT), as part of its Smart Mobility Ambassador Program. The Smart Mobility Ambassador Program gives local high school students an opportunity to mentor younger students and improve their skills to better prepare them for their professional career later in life. The program provides the high school students with professional development, mentoring and networking opportunities, while learning about smart mobility career pathways, sharpening their coding skills, and earning volunteer hours.
“We are honored to be a part of the Smart Mobility Ambassador Program because it aligns with our mission to help prepare today’s youth for tomorrow’s emerging careers. Not only does this program offer local students ‘hands on’ opportunities to learn coding and skills in emerging transportation technology and advanced mobility career pathways, it also gives them an opportunity to actually experience the skill sets needed to succeed in these quickly evolving industries. It’s a great way for students to gain confidence in their own abilities and envision their own future career,” said Mary Welsh Schlueter, Chief Executive Officer of PIE.
The Smart Mobility Ambassador seeks to engage students of all ages in conversations about smart mobility career opportunities across Ohio. Program goals are to develop STEM careers in transportation, using a curriculum inadvanced mobility technology.
“As we develop, test, and deploy smart mobility solutions, they have the potential to change the way we envision transportation,” said Preeti Choudhary, DriveOhio Executive Director. “The key to realizing this potential is investing in talent, and that investment begins in the classroom. Our Smart Mobility Ambassador Program is fundamental to building the workforce needed to power Ohio’s 21st century mobility economy.30
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 http://stem.piemedia.org or follow @PIE_Innovation on Twitter.
About DriveOhio
DriveOhio is Ohio’s portal to advancing smart mobility. Together with its partners, DriveOhio has developed the world’s most advanced smart mobility ecosystem of connected, autonomous, electric, and shared 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 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) outreach programs and problem-based learning, DriveOhio will help students envision future smart mobility careers.