A new partnership between Amazon and Metro Nashville Public Schools will bring computer science courses and robotics to 24 schools focused on students from underserved and underrepresented communities as part of the Amazon Future Engineer program. Amazon is providing 21 elementary, middle, and high schools with robotics programming, which includes funding to launch FIRST robotics programs along with teacher professional development, $10,000 to expand access to computer science education at each school, which could include field trips, hardware, and technology upgrades, and access to a tour of an Amazon robotics fulfillment center.
Amazon also plans to fund Intro and AP computer science courses in three Metro Nashville high schools and more than 45 total high schools across the state of Tennessee, benefiting more than 1,000 local students.
Photo by Erin Lee Allender
Amazon Future Engineer announces expansion into Metro Nashville Public Schools.
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Computer science is the fastest-growing profession within the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) field, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but only 8% of STEM graduates earn a computer science degree, with even fewer from underprivileged backgrounds. However, students from underprivileged backgrounds are 8 to 10 times more likely to pursue college degrees in computer science if they have taken AP computer science in high school.
Amazon Future Engineer is part of Amazon’s $50 million investment in computer science/STEM education. In addition, Amazon Future Engineer has donated more than $10 million to organizations that promote computer science/STEM education across the country. Launched in November, 2018, Amazon Future Engineer is a four-part childhood-to-career program intended to inspire, educate, and prepare children and young adults from underrepresented and underserved communities to pursue careers in the fast-growing field of computer science. Each year, Amazon Future Engineer aims to inspire millions of kids to explore computer science; provides over 100,000 young people in over 2,000 high schools access to Intro or AP Computer Science courses; awards 100 students with four-year $10,000 scholarships, as well as offers guaranteed and paid Amazon internships to gain work experience.
Amazon is also working to bring 5,000 new jobs in downtown Nashville over the coming months and years.
Amazon Nashville will serve as the eastern U.S. hub for Amazon’s retail operations business, and will include tech and management teams working on customer fulfillment, customer service, transportation, supply chain management, and similar activities.
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