FutureReady Press Release
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Mayor Cabaldon's FutureReady initiative in West Sacramento won a national competition and $150,000 grant to provide paid internships for high school students. The program will match students with local employers in sectors like chemicals and alternative fuels. It aims to close skills gaps while making education more relevant. Participating companies like Micromidas and the City of West Sacramento are committed to hosting interns. The funding will also support teacher externships with local businesses to improve career-focused learning.
FutureReady Press Release
- 1. News Release Contact: Ian Winbrock June 22, 2015 Phone: 916-617-5326 / 530-574-1592 mail: ianw@cityofwestsacramento.org Mayor Cabaldon’s FutureReady Wins National Economic Development Competition and Grant SAN FRANCISCO – An initiative by Mayor Cabaldon and FutureReady to guarantee paid internships for West Sacramento high school students in high-quality college and career pathways today won the 1st place award in the national CommunityWINS compe- tition sponsored by the United States Conference of Mayors in partnership with Wells Fargo. The award includes a $150,000 grant to support the FutureReady initiative. “Our prosperity as a community depends on our young people getting access to 21st Century skills, technical training, workplace ex- perience, and quality teaching and learning,” said Mayor Cabaldon, who leads the FutureReady steering committee. “We’re launching an ambitious initiative in partnership with companies and schools, with a promise that our community’s employers will guarantee a paid internship for every high school student who is on track in a high-quality pathway that both prepares them for college and gives them strong skills in one of our fast-growing job sectors. Winning this prestigious national competition is the essential starter fuel to power our success. This is our best hope of closing the skills gap between our workforce and our emerging jobs, and of making edu- cation relevant for teens as part of a suite of initiatives to turn our whole city into a classroom.” In addition to student internships, FutureReady will help place teachers in externships with local companies, where they can learn about industry trends and needs, design student internships that are aligned with Common Core standards, and create real-world appli- cations to bring their classroom instruction to life. “West Sacramento companies are stepping up to the challenge right from the starting gate,” added Mayor Cabaldon. Jon Bisell, CEO of the West Sacramento based chemical and research company Micromidas agreed saying “We have a history of hosting successful student internships at Micromidas. The FutureReady program provides us the opportunity to be matched with quality student interns that have relevant in-classroom academic experience while we develop a local talent pipeline for entry level workers. The teacher ex- ternships will facilitate the connection between our team and teaching faculty at River City High School allowing us to assist teachers in developing curriculum that has real world examples and teaches the skills we need.” Wallace Kuhl and Associates and CSHQA have also committed to internships, as has the City of West Sacramento itself. Bill Elrick, Executive Director for the California Fuel Cell Partnership, added “As fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen stations come to market, developing a pipeline of educated and interested students is vital. The potential to connect real-world examples in alternative fuels and vehicles to classroom instruction makes new technology more relevant to high school students and teachers. We’re excited to support FutureReady in this pilot project”. FutureReady: The Mayors Trust for Youth is a nonprofit effort launched in Mayor Cabaldon’s 2013 State of the City address in collaboration with local business, civic, and education leaders in order to develop West Sacramento’s workforce by building college and career readiness for local high school students, engaging West Sacramento youth in civic improvement, and provide high school students meaningful experience with entrepreneurship and employment. ”Wells Fargo is delighted to collaborate with the US Conference of Mayors to make these grants available for nonprofits and enable them to make vital improvements in their cities,” said Martin Sundquist, Executive Director of the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation. “Wells Fargo cares about the communities we serve and we’re inspired by the tremedous interest in the inaugural CommunityWINS grant program that will add up to make a big difference in helping revitalize neighborhoods.” Wells Fargo’s support makes the Com- munityWINS℠ Program possible. FutureReady is a project of the West Sacramento Foundation, dedicated to improving the lives of young people in West Sacramento by building college and career readiness for local high school students. # # # FutureReady: The Mayor’s Trust For Youth P.O. Box 621 | West Sacramento, CA 95691 | p (530) 574.1592 | FutureReady.WS _______________________________________________________________________