Nearly 500 MPS students to explore careers in IT, engineering
Mayor Tom Barrett joins students and representatives from MATC to declare the Wednesday, March 27, 2013, “iFair Day.”
By Tony Tagliavia
Nearly 500 Milwaukee Public Schools middle- and high-school students spent Wednesday, March 27, 2013 getting hands-on insight into higher education and careers in information technology and engineering thanks in part to more than 20 business and community partners.
The partners were presenters at this spring’s “iFair,” hosted by Harley-Davidson Motor Company and MPS’ Washington High School of Information Technology. Washington IT students also presented, giving demonstrations in technology, engineering and robotics.
The event comes as the U.S. needs to graduate 400,000 students with four-year degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to meet demand – but is only graduating around 265,000, according to STEM curriculum provider Project Lead the Way. Milwaukee Public Schools utilizes Project Lead the Way curriculum in more than 30 schools – including Washington High School of IT – to help fill that gap.
A group of Washington High School students show off a small robot they had built through one of their school’s many IT programs.-
The iFair ran from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, at Harley-Davidson University, 3800 W. Juneau Avenue, Milwaukee 53208
MPS Superintendent Gregory Thornton and Harley- Davidson Director of Product Development Operations Tony Wilcox spoke, as well as Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who appeared at the event to proclaim Wednesday, March 27, “iFair Day” in the City of Milwaukee.
