Partnership to Benefit Students, Industry
23 Jun 2014
Education News
Work is under way to build a lab that is the result of a public-private partnership between Fremont Public Schools, Metropolitan Community College and Valmont Industries aimed at providing career opportunities for young people while creating a skilled workforce for local businesses.
Renovations have begun at Fremont High School to create a state-of-the-art facility to house the district’s welding program, which will offer students the opportunity to earn dual credit and an industry certificate upon completion of the program.
Incoming Superintendent Mark Shepard said the program is an idea that has been in discussion for several years due to the region’s need for skilled welders and a desire to create a training program to meet those needs. The difficulty in launching a program, Shepard said, had been finding the funding to retool and remodel the welding lab and deliver the curriculum.
FPS and Metro came together to write a private foundation grant promoting the public-private partnership that could turn the idea into reality. At its April board meeting, FPS announced a grant for $296,000 had been secured for the project. The private foundation which awarded the grant wished to remain anonymous.
“I think when you look at that (public-private) model, it enables all of us to do more than we could do individually,” Shepard said. “I think in the end the winners are the students, first and foremost, as well as the taxpayers and private industry.”
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