MANASSAS, Va. — What started out as a robotics program in Prince William County has now spread to Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun counties.
SySTEMic Solutions, a public-private partnership that aims to interest elementary, middle, and high school students in fields like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, celebrated its expansion in Manassas on Wednesday. Officials gathered at Micron Technology Inc. to announce the regional expansion of the program.
“Business and industry are telling us that the jobs of today and tomorrow are in the STEM-H fields,” Virginia Secreatary of Education Laura Fornash stated in a press release. “We must ensure that K-12, higher education and business and industry are all working together to prepare our young people for the top jobs of the 21st century. SySTEMic Solutions is a prime example of the successful public-private partnerships we are looking to replicate throughout the Commonwealth.”
Students in the SySTEMic program participate in robotics competitions, take field trips to businesses, show STEM professionals, and complete internships to develop industry-specific skills. Its vision is to prepare students for jobs in these fields, which is expected to grow in the Northern Virginia area through 2020.
Virginia’s General Assembly awared a $1 million, two-year grant for the program. Officials say that more than $5 million is required to to maintain the program as it expands.
In Prince William County, the program has reached 4,000 students. As it expands into neighboring counties, SySTEMic Solutions aims to reach 40,000 children by 2016.
The company that hosted Wednesday’s event to announce the expansion also announced a financial contribution to help keep it going.
“Micron and the Micron Foundation are proud to have been there with SySTEMic Solutions since its inception. This is a win-win for business and education,” stated Raj Narasimhan, the site director for Micron Technology in a press release. “Public-private partnerships are essential and building programs like this will enable our goal. In addition to our seed funding and annual support since the inception, for this year we have committed a support of $120,000 for SySTEMic Solutions programs.”
