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MARSHALL -- A local business is helping to provide more options for career exploration at Marshall Public Schools' Alternative Learning Center.
This week, the Pride in the Tiger Foundation announced that it received a $20,000 grant from the U.S. Bank Foundation to help support the development of a Practical Assessment Exploration System lab at the ALC.
"The Lab will provide students with authentic opportunities to practice workplace skills, explore different career pathways, and recognize their own potential," said MPS Superintendent Jeremy Williams. "Experiences like these help students make meaningful connections between what they learn in school and the opportunities available to them after graduation."
"We are incredibly grateful to the U.S. Bank Foundation for supporting our students and believing in the importance of career readiness for every learner," said Krista Bjella, executive director of Pride in the Tiger Foundation.
Currently, Marshall Middle School has a lab where eighth-grade students can explore jobs and skills related to different career pathways. The lab gives students a chance to build problem-solving and other skills by completing real-world tasks.
"We've seen the success we've had with it," said Williams.
Having a lab at the ALC will give more students a chance to have that experience, he said.
Bjella said the new lab will serve students at the ALC, as well as special education and English learner students. There was a need for more career exploration and workforce preparation opportunities for students who may face barriers to traditional pathways, she said.
The grant to the Pride in the Tiger Foundation was awarded through the U.S. Bank Foundation's Community Possible program. The U.S. Bank Foundation has also supported PITF in the past. Previous funding supported PITF's community engagement coordinator, who helped expand work-based learning opportunities for students at Marshall High School and the ALC.
"A skilled and resilient workforce benefits everyone," said Lataya Allseits, community affairs manager at U.S. Bank. "By supporting organizations like Pride in the Tiger Foundation, we're helping people build skills and succeed in their careers."
"This really is evidence of how our current workforce and businesses in our community are supporting education," Bjella said.
Williams said the U.S. Bank Foundation grant covers about half the cost of the lab planned for the ALC. The school district is also pursuing other grant funding to help fund the rest of the project. Hopefully, the new PAES lab will be available starting early next year, he said.