PwC and Knowledge @ Wharton High School Expand Business and Financial Responsibility Training Seminar to the West Coast

SAN FRANCISCO, June 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- PwC US and Knowledge @ Wharton High School (KWHS) today welcomed nearly 120 high school educators to the PwC-KWHS Seminar for High School Educators on Business and Financial Responsibility.  The intensive three-day event is being held at Wharton | San Francisco, the West Coast campus of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100917/NY66894LOGO)

The seminar is designed to deepen educators' subject-matter knowledge and ability to incorporate financial literacy and business responsibility into their classrooms. Although an overwhelming majority of K-12 teachers agree that students should be educated on personal finance before graduating from high school, fewer than 20 percent of teachers feel equipped to teach such a class. Many cite costs as a major barrier to receiving the training necessary to teach the subject properly. By providing educators with lessons and equipping them with the appropriate resources, PwC and KWHS are taking a crucial step forward in effectively addressing this knowledge gap.

The event features customized training sessions, speakers, panels and discussions led by leaders in business and economics. Noted guests include nationally recognized speakers, Wharton professors and alumni as well as PwC executives, including:

• Bernadette Birt, executive director — Wharton | San Francisco
• Douglas Collom, vice dean and adjunct professor — Wharton | San Francisco
• Jim Henry, San Francisco market managing partner — PwC
• Jody Hoff, district manager of economic education and public programs — Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
• Shannon Schuyler, corporate responsibility leader — PwC
• Vivek Wadhwa, best-selling author of "Immigrant Exodus" and vice president of innovation and research —  Singularity University
• Keith Weigelt, professor of management – Wharton School

"We are proud to have PwC's continued support and unwavering commitment to this program," said Mukul Pandya, executive director and editor-in-chief of Knowledge @ Wharton. "Our partnership allows us to address financial literacy in new and innovative ways by including a corporate perspective."

"We are proud to have the opportunity to host educators and discuss the financial responsibility and leadership skills of our nation's youth," said Jim Henry, PwC's San Francisco managing partner. "We hope this seminar will encourage other businesses in our community, and across the U.S., to find ways to bring their expertise to educators and students in meaningful ways that address financial literacy issues in our education system."

The initiative is part of PwC's Earn Your Future, a $160 million commitment — comprising cash donations and one million service hours — to address youth education with a focus on financial literacy. Over five years, PwC is leveraging its 37,000+ people to develop the financial competency of more than 2.5 million youth and educators.

"Our commitment is one of magnitude and scalability. As we work towards our goal, partnerships with institutions like Knowledge @ Wharton allow us to thoughtfully and purposefully target key stakeholders, such as educators, who play a major role in helping students develop the financial knowledge and skills needed for life-long success," said Shannon Schuyler, US Corporate Responsibility Leader at PwC. "By leveraging the strengths and talents of our two organizations, we are more effectively able to tackle one side of this pressing issue."

Following a successful inaugural conference in September 2012 on Wharton's Philadelphia campus, the second PwC-KWHS seminar at Wharton | San Francisco uses the same collaborative corporate-education model, but this time primarily serves West Coast educators. Attendees will also receive electronic copies of PwC's financial literacy curricula, which they can begin using immediately in their classrooms. In addition, attendees will learn about the many free financial literacy resources available to teachers and students through Knowledge @ Wharton High School. Upon completion of the seminar, participants will receive a certificate from Knowledge @ Wharton.

Since its launch, KWHS has provided free, regularly updated materials for high school students and their teachers. The site, the first of its kind offered by a major university, offers articles, videos, learning simulations and numerous interactive tools.

More information on the fall seminar at Wharton's Philadelphia campus will be available in the coming weeks.

For a full overview of the seminar, please visit the website.

About the Wharton School and Knowledge @ Wharton
Founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. With a broad global community and one of the most published business school faculties, Wharton creates ongoing economic and social value around the world. The School has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA and doctoral students; more than 9,000 annual participants in executive education programs; and a powerful alumni network of 91,000 graduates.

Knowledge @ Wharton is the online business analysis journal of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The site, which is free, captures relevant knowledge generated at Wharton and beyond by offering articles and videos based on research, conferences, speakers, books and interviews with faculty and other experts on current business topics. The Knowledge @ Wharton network – including Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Indian, Arabic, Israeli and High School editions – has more than two million subscribers worldwide. 

About PwC US
PwC US helps organizations and individuals create the value they are looking for. We're a member of the PwC network of firms in 158 countries with more than 180,000 people. We're committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax and advisory services. Tell us what matters to you and find out more by visiting us at www.pwc.com/US.

Learn more about PwC by following us online: @PwC_LLP, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google +.
© 2013 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership. All rights reserved. PwC refers to the US member firm, and may sometimes refer to the PwC network. Each member firm is a separate legal entity. Please see http://www.pwc.com/structure for further details.

SOURCE PwC US