The board of trustees signed off on a partnership agreement with TEES at its Nov. 18 meeting.
TEES, which is part of the the Texas A&M University System, reached out to administrators about collaborating on this program, said Robert Wright, director of career and technical education for KISD.
“What this will do is it will increase our opportunities for our students with our local partners, like Lockheed [Martin] and [Texas Instruments],” Wright said. “We do that through taking field trips with at least 50 students to these industry partners. We also do this through taking field trips to universities.”
With this program, TEES will pay KISD up to $16,000 to take students to visit these professional settings and learning institutions, allowing them to observe practical applications of STEM studies.
“The program is designed for mentoring and encouragement to prepare students for STEM-rich programs at universities, two-year technical colleges, and technical certificate programs,” according to a letter of agreement. “By participating in WIT, students gain exposure to higher education and career opportunities while building the confidence to consider further STEM education.”
The program will first be offered to high school students of the Keller Center for Advanced Learning, Wright said. It could potentially be expanded in the future to middle school students.
This is KISD’s first time participating in this workforce industry training program, Wright said. The agreement is set to expire in June, but it could be extended if both KISD and TEES choose to do so.
