Toyota Recognized for its Commitment to America’s Students and Teachers

Project Lead The Way (PLTW) has recognized and named Toyota as the “Transformative Partner” at its 2017 National Summit. One of the highest levels of commitment that PLTW features is the transformative partner, awarded just six times in 20 years. These Partners include Chevron, Verizon, Autodesk, Kern Family Foundation and Lockheed Martin.

“Providing students with career-learning opportunities in growing industries is critical to empowering students with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in our global economy,” said Dr. Vince Bertram, president and CEO of PLTW. “Through its support of PLTW programs and facilitation of student opportunities through its work/study and technician-training programs, Toyota has been an invaluable partner in this effort. We are proud to recognize Toyota as a Transformative Partner.”

Toyota has begun recruiting PLTW high school graduates, engaging them in its Advanced Manufacturing Technician (AMT) program in 2010. This two-year technical work and study intensive program prepares the best graduates and gives them an opportunity to work in Toyota, earn a salary and have manufacturing careers. For now, this program is active in nine states, engaging 300 employers with 22 programs.

“PLTW programs help to empower teachers and students, providing the skills, resources, and training necessary to compete for the jobs of tomorrow,” said Dennis Dio Parker, who leads Toyota’s AMT program. “We part of a rapidly changing and complex industry, and PLTW helps produce graduates who are well prepared to succeed in our global-best AMT pathway.”

In addition, Toyota recruits PLTW students as targeted employees for its Technician Training & Education Network (T-TEN) program, now in 36 U.S. colleges. In its long 31-year history, T-TEN has graduated over 11,000 automotive technicians who are factory certified and have well-paid jobs in Toyota and Lexus dealerships across the country.

“Throughout the nation, we are investing in workforce development programs to provide youth with opportunity,” said Rick Lester, who leads Toyota’s T-TEN program. “By partnering with PLTW, we are able to build a pipeline of students with the skill sets that help prepare them for future success in our program.”

STEM is essential to preparing students for their careers in high-growth and high-demand fields. According to a study by Deloitte, there will be need for almost 3.5 million skilled jobs in manufacturing over the next decade. The U.S. Department of Commerce reports that there will be growth in STEM employment by 8.9 percent from 2014 to 2024, compared to 6.4 percent growth in non-STEM occupations.

Earlier this year, the Toyota USA Foundation gave PLTW a grant to support the implementation of PLTW programs in nearly 115 K-12 schools across the United States. In addition to this, the Foundation awarded PLTW grant in 2015. With this grant they gave 40 schools a chance to implement PLTW’s Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) course.

The application for this year’s grant funding is open. Schools that are qualified must submit their application before December 15^th through the Grants tool in myPLTW.