The West Chester University (WCU) Center for STEM Inclusion (CSI) is collaborating with Deloitte’s Smart Factory Believers program and Heights Philadelphia to empower Pennsylvania’s K-12 students to boldly pursue fields in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The initiative unites innovators, technologists, philanthropists, and educators to enhance STEM education for students from under-resourced communities in Pennsylvania. The goal is to help inspire students who do not have access to or the resources associated with a robust STEM-focused curriculum to become interested in pursuing technology, engineering, coding, and related career paths.

“It is crucial to educate students about the range of STEM careers available, as understanding these opportunities will ignite their interest and provide them with the motivation to pursue paths they might not have realized were available or attainable,” said West Chester University Professor of Physics and Engineering Dr. Brandon J. Mitchell, who helped establish and currently leads the WCU Center for STEM Inclusion. “Ultimately, we believe that this type of program will create an expanded technology-based workforce in the U.S.”

“By integrating career-focused content, hands-on experiences, paid internships, and partnerships, Heights equips students with the necessary tools to build their pathway to careers that lead to economic mobility,” said Sean E. Vereen, President and CEO, Heights Philadelphia. “West Chester University has stepped in as a critical partner creating opportunities for STEM career pathways for Philadelphia students who are often overlooked. Thanks to this collaboration, our Heights students now have access to a robust STEM-focused curriculum and the chance to network with professionals in the industry. We need more institutions to commit and invest, like West Chester University, in young people’s long-term trajectory and success.”

The collaboration brings together the WCU CSI and Deloitte’s Smart Factory Believers program, an initiative designed to empower STEM educational opportunities for students and inspire the manufacturing workforce of tomorrow. The goal of WCU CSI is to provide a new coding program to students affiliated with Heights Philadelphia and to expand access to high-quality STEM learning tools and curricula. Heights Philadelphia is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting middle and high school students along their college and career pathways to help them achieve economic mobility.

“Deloitte’s Smart Factory Believers program is on a quest to bring robust STEM resources and training to students and teachers in under-resourced communities,” said Sandy Pfeffer, Greater Philadelphia Marketplace Leader, Deloitte LLP. “We envision a future where every child is able to access high-impact STEM education and through the Believers program, create more economic mobility and opportunity in our local community.”

Deloitte’s Smart Factory Believers program is designed to provide students and teachers with hands-on resources, such as Smart Rover kits with educational robotic vehicles, and curriculum to help students learn how to build, code, and operate a fully functioning mobile robot. With these resources, the WCU CSI deploys STEM workshops for students enrolled with Heights Philadelphia that focus on applied coding of the Smart Rovers. This program, which is adaptable to each student’s prior STEM experience, is currently being taught by WCU CSI’s instructors during in-school workshops.

Along with the new coding workshops provided to K-12 students, WCU’s Department of Computer Science is assisting WCU’s CSI team in training public middle and high school teachers to expand the program into local schools. Additionally, WCU is collaborating with the University of Delaware’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department to develop future learning experiences that integrate computer engineering and hardware development into the workshop curriculum.

The Center’s model for this collaboration is particularly sustainable,” said Mitchell. “We are implementing a ‘Hub Model,’ where WCU can serve as a comprehensive training hub for local teachers while providing consistent training as teachers require it. In addition, WCU’s CSI will hold workshops for schools that are exploring the possibility of offering new computer science options for their students.” 

Mitchell’s vision is impactful, having already reached more than 100 students from three different schools in the first six months, and has the potential to reach thousands more middle school and high school students throughout the country. The “Hub Model” can serve as a nationwide model where select universities can serve as educational hubs for the workshops modeled by the WCU CSI and educational resources provided by the Deloitte Smart Factory Believers program.

More About the WCU Center for STEM Inclusion

The WCU Center for STEM Inclusion is dedicated to empowering southeastern Pennsylvania’s K-12 children and youth from under-resourced communities to pursue fields in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Dedicated to student success and expanding the STEM workforce, the WCU Center for STEM Inclusion is working actively to link experts in secondary and higher education, industry, government, and education-focused non-profit organizations directly with students from families with low socioeconomic means. These nurturing collaborations yield the vital resources and support that students need to successfully pursue STEM careers. Currently, the Center is partnering with more than 20 schools in southeastern Pennsylvania and local nonprofit organizations.

More About Deloitte’s Smart Factory Believers

Deloitte’s Smart Factory Believers program is the education and workforce skills program created for The Smart Factory by Deloitte @ Wichita, Deloitte’s immersive experience center and proving ground for next-generation, digitally-driven manufacturing. The program aims to bridge the gap between technology and manufacturing jobs and the talent pool that can fill them by extending new pathways to STEM for students in under-resourced communities. The Smart Factory Believers program is designed to help provide students with high-quality STEM learning and empower teachers with the skills needed to help students visualize and achieve jobs in the manufacturing industry.

More About Heights Philadelphia 

Heights Philadelphia is an economic mobility catalyst committed to breaking the cycle of generational poverty in Philadelphia by creating pathways to educational and workforce success. Heights serves more than 3,300 students from middle school to career with staff embedded in 25 schools across the School District of Philadelphia, and partnerships with 12 colleges and universities. Through advising and enrichment, pathways to careers, partnerships, and community, Heights transforms opportunities for success by equipping students with the tools to pursue careers that lead to economic mobility. 

Learn more at West Chester University (WCU), the largest member of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, which is comprised of 10 state-owned universities within the Commonwealth of PA. Founded in 1871, West Chester University is a comprehensive public institution offering a diverse range of more than 180 academic opportunities in 40 fields of study across undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels.

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As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte Consulting LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of our legal structure. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.