PITTSBURGH – Smart Futures has received a $21,000 grant from Duquesne Light Company as part of the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. The three technology-based career development programs of Smart Futures provide businesses with an opportunity to have a voice in the education system. This EITC contribution will support Smart Futures’ three education-based career development programs in middle schools and high schools, having a significant impact on the career decisions and readiness of tens of thousands students in SWPA. By enabling more students to explore employment options via program such as Keys2Work and MyCareerJourney, Duquesne Light and Smart Futures will play a vital role in the career development needs of our region’s workforce.

“Duquesne Light’s success depends on the success of the region we serve,” said Pamela Coates, Duquesne Light’s manager of Community Relations. “As a local employer, we know a huge part of that success depends upon whether our students are properly prepared to join the workforce of tomorrow. Supporting programs that enhance the educational opportunities of our children is an important part of Duquesne Light’s commitment to the future of Southwestern Pennsylvania.”

Duquesne Light’s contribution to educational improvement comes as a result of Pennsylvania legislation offering tax credits to businesses that make charitable contributions to state-approved educational or scholarship organizations.

Pittsburgh, PA, August 30, 2006 – Smart Futures, a Pittsburgh-based non-profit that provides career development resources to Pennsylvania’s education and training community, has received a $25,000 grant from Mellon Financial Corporation to expand their three programs across the Commonwealth. Mellon Financial Corporation has supported the efforts of Smart Futures’ flagship program, Keys2Work, since the program inception in 2001.

Smart Futures’ Executive Director, David Mosey, stated “Mellon’s support of Smart Futures’ career development mission elaborates on the very real connection between the educational preparation of our youth and the impending needs of the employers in our region.” Further, Mosey stated, “Pittsburgh’s philanthropic community in general has responded very early in supporting many regional efforts that address both the impending workforce shortage and growing need for a skilled and prepared workforce. Their financial support of our efforts locally, and now Statewide, has greatly assisted in our advocacy that all students should be prepared to enter into jobs that are at or above the living wage of, and the employment needs of, Pennsylvania businesses.

Previously announced grant awards for 2006/07 include The Heinz Endowments, DSF Charitable Trust, Mary Hillman Jennings Foundation, The Buhl Foundation, and the United States Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. The Smart Futures’ programs supported by these grants are Keys2Work, MyCareerInsight, PA eMentoring and a newly developing financial literacy program.

ABOUT SMART FUTURES: Smart Futures’ mission is to provide innovative, affordable career development programs to Pennsylvania’s education and training community. Smart Futures distinguishes itself by providing high-quality training, monitoring and ongoing support to its customers. Each of Smart Futures’ programs are ultimately designed to support the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s academic standards including the newly adopted standards for Career Readiness and Work, as well as the national No Child Left Behind and Workforce Investment Act agendas. For more information on Smart Futures or their toolkit of programs go to www.smartfutures.org or call 412-288-3900.

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The Heinz Endowments Supports Education and Career Development Programs Across Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, PA, May 31, 2006 – Located in downtown Pittsburgh, Smart Futures announced today the award of two grants totaling $360,000 from The Heinz Endowments. The Heinz Endowments supports efforts to make southwestern Pennsylvania a premier place to live and work, a center of learning and educational excellence, and a home to diversity and inclusion. In line with the objectives of The Heinz Endowments, Smart Futures’ mission is to install innovative career programs within Pennsylvania’s education and training community, supporting Pennsylvania’s employers’ needs for a more prepared workforce.

A $300,000 grant from the Vira I Heinz Endowment will be used to expand Smart Futures’ three programs, Keys2Work, PA e-Mentor, and My Career Insight, into schools and community based organizations across the Commonwealth. Based upon successfully providing the program to over 70,000 students throughout Southwestern PA, Smart Futures anticipates program implementation in 53 new counties through 420 school districts, 29 Intermediate Units, and 23 Workforce Investment Areas. The Howard Heinz Endowments awarded the second grant that focuses on a new initiative of Smart Futures. The $60,000 planning grant provides for the research of an on-line financial literacy program that could be integrated into, and augment the three existing career-development programs of Smart Futures. Smart Futures monitors the needs of the education and career-development community, and responds through the development of programs that help to fill the gaps.

DSF Charitable Foundation Supports Career Readiness Program in Non-Public Schools

Pittsburgh, PA, April 27, 2006 – Smart Futures, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Pennsylvania become known for the quality of its workforce, announced today a $100,000 two-year grant from DSF Charitable Foundation. The purpose of the grant is to expand the Keys2Work program into the southwestern PA private and non-traditional school sector. The web-based curriculum aligns and remediates basic academic skills with a participant’s chosen career or educational path.

Non-public schools emphasize academic rigor, but generally do not offer programs that guide students in aligning their academic skills with their future career path or post-secondary education decision. “Smart Futures looks to support non-traditional school choices by offering these students an equal playing field with the public school students who have successfully completed the Keys2Work program,” said David Mosey, Executive Director, Smart Futures.

The career-based skill remediation and credentialing programs of Smart Futures, Keys2Work, MyCareerInsight, and PA e-Mentoring, are primarily delivered through intermediary partners such as intermediate units, workforce investment boards, and community based organizations. Keys2Work is currently being used by over 20,000 participants in nearly 200 schools districts, career and technical education centers, intermediate units, community based organizations, and workforce investment areas throughout Pennsylvania.

Local Initiatives Connect Workforce Education to Economic Development
By: Evan Pattak

When John Brown was a high school student, he thought he might pursue a career in restaurant management but wasn’t sure if he had the right vocation — or the right region. Then he attended … [cont]

Keys2Work Program Helps Link Students with Educational Programs