STEM on the rise at PAC

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas, Inc. (TMMTX)自10月11日(周五)在南区开设工厂以来，庆祝了15年. 19, and as a longtime partner of Palo Alto College, TMMTX granted a $15,000 gift to support Palo Alto College's science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiatives.

“我们有通过社区合作伙伴回馈社区的悠久传统. 它们是我们承诺支持我们生活和工作的社区的关键部分," said Kevin Voelkel, senior vice president of TMMTX during the celebration. "By being strategic and focusing on key areas, 我们努力形成有意义的关系，最终加强社区."

Financial contributions were awarded to Palo Alto College, University Health System; alternative energy company EPIcenter; and special needs nonprofit Eva's Heroes. 庆祝活动期间的捐款使TMMTX在过去15年的慈善捐款总额达到4500万美元.

Partnerships with corporations like TMMTX, the largest employer in south San Antonio, are critical to Palo Alto College's continued growth. In addition to funding initiatives and scholarships, 合作伙伴关系通过暑期实习为帕洛阿尔托学院的学生提供了直接的经验, job shadowing, 以及业内专业人士的指导，帮助他们在进入劳动力市场之前做好准备.

"In August, the jobs numbers hit a new record. Nationally, there are about seven million job openings, 这是困难的部分——实际上没有足够的训练有素的工人来填补这些工作," said U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, at the TMMTX celebration. “圣安东尼奥正在进行的是职业培训和劳动力发展. The hard work begins here locally at our community colleges, 为学生提供职业培训选择的高中... 帮助提供训练有素的劳动力来满足像丰田这样的雇主的需求."

为了支持大圣安东尼奥地区对STEM领域日益增长的需求, 帕洛阿尔托学院花了数年时间开发和培养STEM战略，以提高早期教育机会, produce high-caliber programs, 并提供奖学金，帮助学生更多地接触STEM项目.

在过去的几年里，帕洛阿尔托学院获得了几项竞争性资助，总额为6美元.400万美元，通过学术资源，让攻读STEM相关学位的学生更容易获得STEM, scholarships, research, and other activities. A recent five-year, $3.87 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education allowed us to create a new 2,200平方英尺的STEM中心位于Brazos Hall大楼内，作为STEM项目的中心位置, services, and academic support, as well as a collaborative space for group study, tutoring, STEM club meetings, peer mentoring, academic advising, career preparation, scholarship information, transfer information, and more.

With respect to early access, 与哈兰代尔ISD的STEM早期大学高中和西南ISD的CAST STEM高中的专业高中合作伙伴关系得到了支持，让双入学的帕洛阿尔托学院学生有机会在特定的STEM职业领域开始重点教育，同时早在高中一年级就获得大学学分.

Additionally, 帕洛阿尔托学院(Palo Alto College)开始提供免费的STEM夏令营，这要归功于一笔巨额赠款，该赠款允许11-17岁的儿童获得像She Code Connect™这样的专业教育机会, a unique, 全女子夏令营是与青年编程夏令营等组织合作举办的. Through our calculated grant funding strategy, 从2017年到2018年，帕洛阿尔托学院(Palo Alto College)的STEM训练营数量翻了一番, ultimately serving more than 350 students this year.

当地企业和商会合作伙伴关系也一直是我们增加STEM产品的优先事项. On Saturday, Nov. 3, 帕洛阿尔托学院将与圣安东尼奥西班牙裔商会合作举办第九届年度CORE4 STEM家庭日，作为圣安东尼奥STEM周的一部分. As a free event for the community, CORE4 STEM家庭日为学生及其家人提供了参观大学校园的机会, often for the first time, 并参与与stem相关的实践活动，帮助他们发现自己在这些领域的潜力，并向他们展示科学令人兴奋的方面. To learn more, visit holinginvestmentgroup.com/pac/CORE4STEM.

我们的社区有机会看到许多不同类型的STEM职业，这些职业有助于激发圣安东尼奥未来劳动力的热情. 无论学生最终是在STEM领域寻求职业生涯，还是追求另一种激情, 帕洛阿尔托学院的集体重点将继续为所有学生提供一切可能的资源，使他们在整个教育过程中取得成功，为未来的职业生涯做准备.