The Mitchell School District has received a Workforce Education Grant from the South Dakota Department of Education for equipment, materials and curriculum to boost robotics and automation education. The matching grant for $72,086.48 will allow for enhanced instruction in the middle school and the Mitchell Career and Technical Education Academy beginning in the 2019-20 academic year.
The grant request was a direct result of feedback from members of the Mitchell Area Manufacturers Association. The manufacturers identified automation and robotics as the highest priority area to be addressed in Mitchell’s secondary and post-secondary career and technical education (CTE) programming to address immediate and future workforce expertise needs. Grant dollars and local matching funds totaling nearly $145,000 will be used to purchase equipment and materials to implement the additional programming.
“The result of this additional and improved instruction in robotics and automation at the middle school and MCTEA levels will be MHS graduates with strong skill sets who are prepared for MTI and other technical schools, as well as other post-secondary opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math,” said Mitchell School District Superintendent Joseph Graves.
Project planning included input from those at the middle school, MCTEA and the MTI supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) department to ensure alignment between youth and post-secondary education.
The Workforce Education Grants are awarded through a competitive submission and review process to applicants who demonstrate significant and meaningful improvements to career and technical education programs with a school.