EntreEd receives second ARC grant to support entrepreneurship education in the Appalachian region.
The Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education, EntreEd has been awarded its second Appalachian Regional Commission POWER grant in the amount of over $1.4 million dollars for their Fostering Self ESTEAM in Appalachia’s Emerging Workforce project. The project helps middle and high school programs in a seven-state region infuse Entrepreneurship into STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) initiatives. The two-year project will reach 52 counties and a potential 75 rural school districts and is a continued, collaborative effort between EntreEd, The EdVenture Group, the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), and the National Center for Resource Development (NCRD).
By targeting middle and high school students, the ESTEAM project supports the region in graduating an emerging workforce of entrepreneurially-minded students poised to recognize and create solutions to gaps within their local economy. The program will deliver high-quality teacher training and support STEAM-focused entrepreneurship projects to reach a projected 26,500 students. ESTEAM will build an entrepreneurship pipeline within rural communities through local partnerships, including eight community college partners (KY: Big Sandy Community and Technical College, Hazard Community and Technical College, and Southeastern Kentucky Community and Technical College OH: Hocking College TN: Roane State Community College NC: Southwestern Community College WV: BridgeValley Community and Technical College, West Virginia Community and Technical College System VA: Mountain Empire Community College) All participating community college partners are members of the Community Colleges of Appalachia network as well as members of NAACE.
“EntreEd and partners are very happy to be able to work in multiple ARC states to connect Entrepreneurship and STEAM and to continue helping middle and high schools become America’s Entrepreneurial Schools. The Appalachian Regional Commission, Benedum Foundation, and Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation have been powerful funding partners in this effort.”, said EntreEd’s Executive Director, Dr. Gene Coulson.
The ESTEAM project marks the second in EntreEd’s POWER portfolio. The organization recently wrapped up their 2016 award for the America’s Entrepreneurial Schools and Colleges project, which provided entrepreneurship education to over 50,000 rural students in a five-state region. For more information on the AESC, ESTEAM, and EntreEd’s current projects, visit www.entre-ed.org.
