Gulf Power and IHMC sign up for STEM Summer Residency Program

Governor Rick Scott announced today that 19 Florida companies – including Florida IHMC and Gulf Power – are interesting in taking part in the Governor’s new STEM teacher summer residency initiative. The initiative is part of the Governor’s “Jobs for the Next Generation” policy and will offer Florida’s best STEM teachers the opportunity to build their skills in the private sector and translate them into their classroom teaching.

Governor Scott said, “Florida has some of the best teachers in the country and they are on the front lines of educating our future workforce. We should be doing everything we can to develop their skills even more so they can give our students an even greater experience in the classroom. Students with a strong STEM background have a great opportunity to find a high-paying job and we want to foster their success.”

Teachers who take part in the Governor’s new program will receive a $10,000 stipend from the state and participating companies will be encouraged to provide additional compensation.

The 18 companies are as follows:

Chromalloy

Covanta Energy

CoWork Jax

Duke Energy Florida

Embraer

Entertainment Metals, Inc.

F4 Technologies, Inc.

Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition

Florida Power & Light

Gulf Power Company

Harris Corporation

Heat Pipe Technology

Hoerbiger Corporation of America, Inc.

ICTC

MiTek USA

Metal Essence

Northup Grumman

PharmaWorks

Timbar Packaging & Display

Stan Connally, President and CEO of Gulf Power Company said, “Gulf Power Company is a strong supporter of STEM education and we clearly understand the critical role teachers play in building our state’s future workforce. With our long history of engagement in education, Gulf Power applauds this innovative concept by Governor Scott and looks forward to hosting one or more STEM teachers through his proposed STEM teacher residency program.”

Kenneth Ford, Director of the Florida Institute of Human and Machine Cognition, said, “The Florida Institute of Human and Machine Cognition appreciates Governor Scott’s focus on STEM education in his Jobs for the Next Generation policy proposals. Specifically, his proposal to provide STEM teachers with in-house opportunities in the private sector is a great way to build partnerships with K-12 education and create greater interest in these subjects with young students.”