SME Education Foundation Awards Record Number of Sustainability Awards to SME PRIME Schools October 28, 2024 by SME Communications 43 schools receive sustainability awards, 16 schools for first time SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Oct. 28, 2024 — Over 40 SME PRIME® schools received financial awards from the SME Education Foundation to sustain their manufacturing programs this year. The Foundation operates as the philanthropic arm of SME, the nonprofit association dedicated to advancing manufacturing technology and fostering manufacturing and engineering talent and capabilities in North America. Informed by private industry, SME PRIME (Partnership Response In Manufacturing Education) builds custom manufacturing and engineering programs in high schools across the country, providing equipment, curriculum, teacher training, student scholarships, and funding for extracurricular activities and program sustainability. SME PRIME is tailored to meet the needs of local manufacturers and is aligned with 40 industry-recognized credentials and certifications. SME PRIME is located in 110 schools across 23 states, serving 10,000 students, and 91% of SME PRIME seniors pursue manufacturing post-graduation. “This funding is crucial for SME PRIME schools to ensure that the momentum of manufacturing education continues. Communities and local manufacturers tell us that they see the impact of SME PRIME,” said Rob Luce, vice president of the SME Education Foundation. “Together, we are not just preparing students for careers; we are building a robust talent pipeline that will drive innovation and growth in the manufacturing sector for years to come.” The sustainability awards are provided to help SME PRIME schools maintain their programs after initial period of program development. A unique element of the SME PRIME program, these funds help ensure the sustainability of SME PRIME, and therefore the future of manufacturing educational opportunities for students across the country. SME PRIME schools apply annually for sustainability award consideration to help fund additional equipment and supplies, instructional support, professional development, and/or student engagement activities that support manufacturing. Nearly half of the schools in the SME PRIME network of 110 have received 2024 sustainability awards. Some are among the earliest SME PRIME schools, dating back to 2010. The institutions selected for the 2024 SME PRIME sustainability awards are: Airport High School, Carleton, MI Anna High School, Anna, OH Area 31 Career Center, Indianapolis, IN Birch Run High School, Birch Run, MI Capital High School, Helena, MT Cazenovia High School, Cazenovia, NY Cedar Falls High School, Cedar Falls, IA Centerville High School, Centerville, OH Central Columbia High School, Bloomsburg, PA East Cooper Center for Advanced Studies, Mount Pleasant, MI East Jackson High School, Jackson, MI Ecorse Community High School, Ecorse, MI Edwardsburg High School, Edwardsburg, MI Barberton High School, Barberton, OH Wadsworth High School, Wadsworth, OH Freeland High School, Freeland, MI Genesee Career Institute, Flint, MI GI-TEC Mount Pleasant High School, Mount Pleasant, MI Grand Haven High School, Grand Haven, MI Hancock High School, Hancock, MI Hemlock Public Schools, Hemlock, MI Heritage High School, Saginaw, MI Hollenstein Career and Technology Center, Fort Worth, TX Hopewell High School, Huntersville, NC Indiana County Technology Center, Indiana, PA Innovation Central High School, Grand Rapids, MI I. Case High School, Racine, WI McKenzie Center for Innovation and Technology, Indianapolis, IN Merrill High School, Merrill, MI Romeo High School, Washington, MI Rudyard High School, Rudyard, MI Saginaw Career Complex, Saginaw, MI San Pasqual High School, Escondido, CA Saint Michael-Albertville (STMA) High School, St. Michael, MN Summit Technology Academy, Lee’s Summit, MO Swan Valley High School, Saginaw, MI Three Rivers High School, Three Rivers, MI Walker Career Center, Indianapolis, IN Washington Park High School, Racine, WI West Ottawa High School, Holland, MI Wheeling High School, Wheeling, IL Whitehall High School, Whitehall, MI William D. Ford Career-Technical School, Westland, MI “We recently took over 100 welding students from our SME PRIME program on an industry tour day in Great Falls. The money that we used to pay for 3 buses was SME PRIME money-- we would not have been able to do this without the sustainability grant,” said Jim Weber, a teacher at Capital High School in Helena, Montana. “Capital High School is very grateful for all the financial help SME has provided.” “The funding helped supplement our VEX Robotics Competition team during the last school year. The award supported four different teams to develop a robot that competed in at least four competitions last year,” Chris Sjolander, engineering instructor at East Cooper Center for Advanced Studies (ECCAS) in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. “There were over 20 students who participated in the VEX Robotics Competition from Team 3859. Without the sustainability award, we would not have been able to participate in the competition or send as many students.” The SME Education Foundation has proudly seeded the SME PRIME Sustainability Fund with its own resources. Gratitude is extended to the Bosch Community Fund and other contributors for their generous support, which underscores the importance of collaboration among industry leaders in advancing the sustainability of SME PRIME programs. “We are proud to invest in the future of manufacturing talent through sustainability for SME PRIME,” said Eve Haley, Program Officer at the Bosch Community Fund. “By supporting these innovative educational initiatives, we are helping to ensure that students gain the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in advanced manufacturing careers. Sustainability awards for SME PRIME schools will not only benefit students today but will create a lasting impact on the manufacturing industry for years to come.”
