Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a nonprofit organization that provides Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) educational opportunities to children
in Pre K-12th grades. PLTW operates in over 12,000 schools in all 50 states, the
District of Columbia and U.S. territories.
The manufacturing workplace requires a unique skill set. STEM jobs continue to grow in the U.S., but we need trained workers who are ready to step into those jobs. STEM is at the heart of American manufacturing – and thus, at the very heart of what we do here at Veritas and across the Atlas family of companies. Partnering with PLTW is a way to increase interest and proficiency in STEM and prepare America’s students for college and career success.
Veritas Steel partners with Orange Park High School in Orange Park, Florida, to offer PLTW to students. This partnership with PLTW, Orange Park High School and the city of Orange Park is a unique opportunity for our company — and for all of us personally — to make a profound impact on our city and on future generations of STEM workers.
PLTW at Orange Park
Orange Park High School serves approximately 1,500 students. During the first year of the PLTW program at Orange Park, students primarily focus on mechanical engineering and the properties of design, including studying simple machines, hydraulics and basic structures such as bridges.
The funding provided through the PLTW grant helps to provide meaningful hands-on experiences to solidify students’ understanding of engineering fundamentals. In their second and third years of the program, students study civil and architectural engineering. At the end of the 3-year program, students earn industry certifications in Revit and InVentor, marketable achievements that can help them join the workforce in Northeast Florida.
Get Involved
The Veritas School Partnership Team is in place at Orange Park High School. If
you are local to the Orange Park area, you can donate your time, talent and
commitment to Veritas Steel in order to make this project a success.
Our goal is not simply to make a corporate donation. We want to utilize the very best of Veritas so we not only enhance the education of students but strengthen the school they attend and the communities we call home.
Partnership Team members may engage in any of the following activities:
- Serve as an advocate for the Orange Park High School PLTW program with parents, school board members, school administration and the community;
- Engage with elected and district-level officials in Orange Park as well as in other Veritas communities about the value of the PLTW program (We hope to bring PLTW to other Veritas communities in years ahead!);
- Connect PLTW students to the community;
- Support PLTW students through mentoring and feedback on their coursework and projects;
- Participate in classroom activities.
