ASME Foundation Wins Grant to Develop Workforce

The ASME Foundation was awarded an $800,000 multiyear grant from ECMC Foundation to help underserved community college and careeer and technical education (CTE) students advance to graduation and enter the technical workforce or transition to a 4-year institution to complete a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or related technical field. ECMC Foundation is a national foundation whose goal is to eliminate equity gaps in postsecondary completion by 2040, according to ASME.

The ASME Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), a professional society for multidisciplinary engineers. The 2-year grant, Accelerating Engineering Pathways for CTE Students in a COVID-Changed World, expands ASME’s Community College Engineering Pathways program to a total of 15 community colleges (including five minority-serving institutions) and helps implement and evaluate STEM-focused activities and resources, including work-based learning programs and professional networks for underserved students.

“This significant grant advances our work to build the technical workforce for the 21st Century while closing the equity gap that leaves too many women, rural learners, and students of color behind,” says Stephanie Viola, executive director of the ASME Foundation and managing director of ASME Philanthropy.

ASME’s Community College Engineering Pathways program connects community college and continuing technical education students to opportunities for specialized training, internships, apprenticeships and jobs. It provides resources to community colleges to expand their employer networks and align curricula to the needs of local and national employers. 

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.