Deloitte Foundation Supports Base 11 to Create National STEM Career Accelerator Model

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Deloitte Foundation today announced a grant to Base 11 that will help create a nationally scalable STEM career accelerator model. The model will offer high school students a project-based learning program that encompasses multiple engineering disciplines.

The objective of the program is to encourage students who have an inherent interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) to pursue a college degree in one of those fields and help alleviate the STEM workforce shortage. Research shows that experiential learning helps retain students' interest in the STEM fields that are the gateway to STEM degrees and careers.

"The Deloitte Foundation is excited by Base 11's innovative approach to help produce the next generation of STEM talent," said Tonie Leatherberry, president of the Deloitte Foundation. "Hands-on engineering projects not only provide students with the real-world technical skills they need, but the soft skills essential to succeed in the 21st century."

Beginning this fall, the program will be piloted at Cristo Rey Philadelphia, a private high school that serves low-income students. In preparation for the pilot, Base 11 will create a STEM accelerator ecosystem at the Philadelphia campus, including the installation of new design and rapid-prototyping equipment, specialized training for the faculty, and experiential curriculum developed in partnership with the Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) specializing in project-based engineering learning programs.

The key components of the pilot program, which will run through spring 2018, include:

• Autonomous Systems Engineering Academy adaptation - This hands-on, project based learning program, originated from UCI's Samueli School, will be adapted into a year-long engineering and computer science curriculum for high school juniors and seniors. Students will define, build and test a series of mini projects focused on different aspects of engineering, from basic electronics to computer-aided design. Each mini project will be a necessary component of the capstone project, a fully operational unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone.
• Corporate involvement - Base 11 and Deloitte Foundation will encourage other corporate organizations to expand beyond high school work study programs into paid college apprenticeships, and to offer "innovation challenges" where students are invited to work on a real project requested by an employer.
• STEM undergraduate admissions playbook - Base 11 will collaborate with universities, corporate employers and resource providers from STEMconnector to develop and implement a STEM undergraduate admissions "playbook." The playbook provides students and parents with a roadmap that students can follow to obtain college scholarship support and pursue career opportunities in STEM.

"Base 11 and the Deloitte Foundation share a common vision to empower students to ignite and realize the greatest potential for themselves and their communities," said Landon Taylor, CEO of Base 11. "We are grateful for the Deloitte Foundation's support of this program, and excited to learn from the pilot and then replicate and scale it to address our nation's imminent STEM talent needs."

About The Deloitte Foundation
The Deloitte Foundation, founded in 1928, is a not-for-profit organization that supports education in the U.S. through a variety of initiatives that help develop the talent of the future and their influencers and promote excellence in teaching, research and curriculum innovation. The Foundation sponsors an array of national programs relevant to a variety of professional services, benefiting middle/high school students, undergraduates, graduate students and educators. Learn more about the Deloitte Foundation.

About Base 11
Base 11 is a nonprofit workforce development and entrepreneur accelerator focused on solving the STEM talent pipeline crisis being fueled by the underrepresentation of women and minorities. Base 11 facilitates partnerships with industry, academia and philanthropy which deliver to employers a pre-recruitment pipeline of well-trained, highly skilled STEM talent. By establishing Innovation Centers integrated with hands-on project based learning and STEM entrepreneurship training, Base 11 and its partners set students on direct pathways to four-year STEM degrees, well paid STEM jobs, and the opportunity to launch their own STEM related business. For more information, please visit www.Base11.com. Base 11 is a DBA of the Center for Innovations in Education, a nonprofit 501(c) 3 – IRS exemption EIN# 26-4365936.

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SOURCE Deloitte Foundation