Building on the company’s continued commitment to education and generational sustainability, Southwire recently welcomed the 2018-19 class of students to the Southwire Engineering Academy (SWEA), expanding the program to include a partnership with Carroll County Schools and marking the eighth year of the program’s collaboration with Carrollton City Schools.
The Southwire Engineering Academy (SWEA) is a cooperative education program offered in partnership with local high school STEM programs. Combining a focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics with hands-on experience and mentoring, SWEA empowers, inspires and prepares students for futures in engineering.
“We are pleased to welcome our new class of SWEA students and are very excited for the opportunity to both extend this partnership to Carroll County Schools and continue the program with Carrollton City Schools,” said Rich Stinson, Southwire’s president and CEO. “As we consider our company’s strategy and the ideas and talent that will be essential to reaching our goals, the opportunities and experience that result from SWEA provide both tangible and intangible benefits for the future of these students and for Southwire.”
In total, 33 students will participate in SWEA during the 2018-19 school year, spending the afternoon of every other school day at a Southwire facility with manufacturing leadership and engineers to contribute ideas and solutions to a variety of challenges and opportunities at Southwire.
“We are very excited to be joining the SWEA program and to continue to expand our long-standing partnership with Southwire,” said Scott Cowart, superintendent of Carroll County Schools. “Our mission is to develop globally competitive college and career ready graduates, and the opportunity to offer students experience in engineering furthers our efforts of providing premier experiences throughout our district.”
Five high school seniors from Central, Bowdon and Temple High are part of the first class of SWEA students from Carroll County. The project focus for this team will be utilizing technology to make information available at the point of use, and students will develop and implement solutions to help address the needs of the digital future.
“The Southwire Engineering Academy has provided incredible experiences for almost 200 Carrollton High School students since the partnership started with the Class of 2012,” said Dr. Mark Albertus, superintendent of Carrollton City Schools. “Many of them have gone on to launch their own engineering careers, while others have chosen different paths. Either way, SWEA taught them important lessons in leadership, teamwork, innovation and perseverance. We are truly grateful for Southwire’s continued commitment to this program and look for many more years of collaboration.”
For more information on SWEA, visit southwireea.com.
