CHARLESTON, W.Va. –The Education Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for quality public education for all students, is now accepting nominations for its second annual Hope for the Future: School Business Partnership of the Year awards program.
The program, which aims to highlight and recognize impactful school-business partnerships that give K-12 students a leg up in their education, was launched last year by the Education Alliance in partnership with Hope Gas.
President and CEO Amelia Courts said recently on MetroNews Midday that the younger generation perceives they must leave West Virginia to find a good-paying job, while business owners struggle to find a strong workforce.
Courts said the Education Alliance aims to help bridge the gap between the younger generation and the workforce with the support of the awards program.
“Our goal is to connect the dots there and too really shine a light on the partnerships that are building out our state workforce,” she said.
According to a press release, the Education Alliance is encouraging any West Virginia schools and businesses engaged in partnerships serving K-12 students to apply.
Partnerships can fall into the following categories:
-Academic (reading, math, financial literacy, etc.)
-Career Exploration (Speaker presentation/tours)
-Career Readiness (internships, work-based learning)
-School Strategic Plan/Advisory Participation Partnerships
-Social/Emotional (mentoring)
They said that during its inaugural year, more than 75 partnerships from 37 counties were nominated. For its second year, the alliance aims to receive 100 nominations representing all 55 counties.
Courts said the first year was a success, particularly because of the amount of money the program was able to award.
“We were able to give out $40,000 dollars in prizes,” she said.
They choose eight regional winners, two from each region, each receiving $2,000. One of last year’s winners was the partnership between the Mercer County Technical Education Center and Conn-Weld
They also select one statewide winner, who receives a $25,000 prize. Last year, Pocahontas County Schools and its partnership with Nature’s Mountain Classroom won the statewide award.
Courts said that through these partnerships last year, the Education Alliance is working to show the younger generation that they can stay in West Virginia and find good jobs.
“I do think that we are making progress and at the Education Alliance we are really blessed because we get to see that progress firsthand every single day,” she said.
Hope Gas CEO Morgan O’Brien said the company is honored to support the program, which helps keep young people in the state while encouraging school-business partnerships to apply.
“Hope Gas is honored to continue to support the Hope for the Future School Business Partnership of the Year award. One of Hope’s goals is to keep our Kids in West Virginia by making sure they have opportunities to achieve their fullest education, career and life potential right here in the Mountain State, ” O’Brien said. “School-Business partnerships are a key piece to engaging, educating and preparing the future generation of West Virginia’s workforce. I applaud all the schools and businesses who collaborate to offer these essential learning opportunities to students. I encourage them to showcase their partnerships and apply for this award.”
Applications are due February 28.
To learn more or apply you can go to their website here.