Denver, CO, Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- mindSpark Learning, a Denver-based national nonprofit dedicated to empowering educators with industry-oriented professional learning experiences, announced today STEMpath will be virtual for its 2021 cohort, enabling the organization to meet the increased demand to open the program to more educators across the U.S.
2021 marks STEMpath’s third year of providing K-12 educators with a 24 credit graduate-level STEM certification course, which gives them the skills to better prepare the future workforce. The immersive program provides work-based learning through industry externships, coursework and dynamic professional learning. On average, each participant impacts 26 student lives, reaching 400-650 students every year.
All past participants reported STEMpath was an invaluable professional development experience as they acquired the skills needed to have a positive impact on their organization and promote an equitable environment.
As one of the only STEM certification programs to host externships with industry partners, STEMpath graduates see first-hand how STEM skills and processes like SCRUM can be used both in the classroom and workplace. Externship partners have included Lockheed Martin, TTEC, Sphero EDU, Couragion, WeThrive and UpChieve.
Participants graduate with a well-rounded, well-informed perspective of computer science far beyond the traditional skills of coding and programming. Upon completion of this course, participants receive a graduate-level certificate in Computer Science (Cybersecurity), significantly upskilling each person in the cohort. In fact, 75% of graduates reported a salary increase within a year of completion.
Founding partners, mindSpark Learning, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Couragion and Colorado Succeeds, have gained support from generous funding partners, including the Morgridge Family Foundation, Ball Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Pathways to Tomorrow and Bitsbox to decrease the initial $14,000 investment to $4,800 for each participant.
“Since launching STEMpath, it has been our goal to bring this program to educators nationally. We’re thrilled that we can now offer this more broadly,” said mindSpark CEO Kellie Lauth. “We are so thankful to our supporters and partners as we continue to pursue new ways to certify and upskill more STEM educators, diversifying programs and bringing about direct intersection with industry models.”
mindSpark Learning is hosting information sessions in September for educators interested in more information. For more information on STEMpath, please visit www.mymindsparklearning.org/stempath.
Other Details:
- Educators interested in applying can do so by October 30 at www.mymindsparklearning.org/stempath-application-form.
- Organizations interested in supporting STEMpath or hosting externships can contact Melissa Sayre at melissa@mymindsparklearning.org.
About mindSpark Learning
mindSpark Learning, a Denver-based national nonprofit founded as Share Fair Nation in 2007 and rebranded in 2017, is the catalyst and intermediary between education and industry. It empowers educators with industry-oriented professional learning experiences, resulting in more students prepared for the modern workforce. It does so by leading programs and services designed to help schools understand workforce development, participate in work-based learning experiences, foster career literacy and directly connect students to mentors and authentic opportunities at a young age. Its core areas of focus are critical to today’s education landscape and include problem-based learning (PBL) STEM, EdTech, Social-emotional learning (SEL) and Equity-centered Design Thinking. These lay the foundation for skills that are inherently necessary for career success.
mindSpark Learning is re-engineering education by incorporating the voice of community leaders in a variety of fields - from education, to industry, to government. To date, mindSpark Learning has impacted more than 19,000 educators in 2,347 schools across 49 states and Washington D.C and 46 countries. For more information, please visit www.mymindsparklearning.org.
###