HNTB to partner with Chicago Public Schools

Chicago — HNTB Corporation is one of six corporate entities partnering with seven Chicago public high schools to provide engineering training and curriculum to thousands of students in the region. The announcement of the initiative was made by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in August.

HNTB will partner with Dr. Martin Luther King Junior College Preparatory High School, working closely with principals and Chicago Public Schools leadership in the development of the school’s engineering curriculum, which will be aligned with viable jobs and informed by current and future industry standards.

“We are proud to partner with the Chicago Public Schools to inspire young women and men through the promotion of science, technology, engineering and math education, which is an honorable and exciting career path,” said Amar Rajpurkar, P.E., HNTB Chicago office leader. “We are excited to develop a multi-year, multi-faceted mentoring program with King College Prep.”

The curriculum will focus on both hard and soft engineering skills needed to succeed in related fields. The corporate-scholastic partnerships also will provide students access to work-based opportunities with professional engineers and are meant to allow them to develop a competitive advantage that will help them succeed in a global, technology-driven economy while building the skillsets that will help them attain jobs in the future.

According to a City of Chicago press release, the initiative was established as part of a city-wide goal of increasing opportunities to prepare students for 21st century college and career.