PENSACOLA, Fla. – Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services, the philanthropic arms of Ford Motor Company, and the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Northwest Florida Next Generation Learning Community with University of West Florida today announced a partnership to bring Ford’s award-winning curriculum with its teaching and learning strategies to high schools in Florida and along the Gulf Coast.
Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS) engages educators, businesses and the community in developing a master plan to transform public high school education. At its core is transformational professional development and a series of 20 educational project and inquiry- based modules that develop critical thinking, team building and other 21st century skills to solve real-world problems in fields such as environmental sustainability, economics and engineering.
The Northwest Florida Next Generation Learning Community, a partnership between business, education and community leaders in the area working to create career academies in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, joins only three other Ford PAS Resource Hubs in the nation. In this role, the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and the University of West Florida will work with high schools statewide to provide professional development for teachers and opportunities for community engagement.
“Our founder Henry Ford built an entire industry from his relentless focus on innovation,” said Cheryl Carrier, program director, 21st Century Education Programs, Ford Motor Company Fund. “Today more than 100,000 students nationally have developed skills through Ford PAS to take American ingenuity to the next level. We are excited to partner with the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and the Northwest Florida Next Generation Learning Community to make Ford PAS available to more students.”
More than 600 schools use Ford PAS, an education program established by Ford Motor Company Fund and developed in collaboration with Education Development Center, Inc. The rigorous curriculum is aligned with national standards.
“We are truly honored to be one of three Ford PAS Hub designations in the country,” said Evon Emerson, President and CEO of the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. “Our team has worked closely with Ford since 2007 and since that time, our schools, our students and our workforce have greatly benefited. The prestigious designation will make an even stronger impact in business and education.”
The Ford PAS Hub will allow educators to receive professional development in an interdisciplinary and interactive method to teach students their academics through the lens of career fields such as business, alternative energy and manufacturing. The Ford PAS Hub also helps schools connect with business partners to develop mentorship programs, internships and other ways to prepare students for jobs in a global economy.
About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services is focused on strengthening families and communities through programs that foster auto-related safety, education and American heritage. Made possible by funding from Ford Motor Company, Ford Motor Company Fund celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2009. National programs include Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies, which provides high school students with academically rigorous, real world learning experiences, and Ford Driving Skills for Life, which teaches safe driving skills to teenagers through interactive web-based learning and hands-on driving clinics. Each year the Ford Volunteer Corps provides more than 100,000 hours of volunteer support from 20,000 Ford employees for community projects in more than 40 countries. For more information, visit www.community.ford.com.
About Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
With more than 1,300 members, the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce represents two-thirds of the area’s workforce, providing members valuable business resources and a sizable return on investment since 1889. The Chamber acts as a catalyst of positive and creative action in the pursuit of excellence for the area’s business community through its various departments including membership, tourism, economic development, community affairs and armed services. |
