Fremont Public Schools and the Greater Fremont Development Council have received two Developing Youth Talent Initiative (DYTI) grants from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.
The first grant is a DYTI grant for middle school Career and Technical Education (CTE) enhancement. The funds awarded for this grant will be used to equip and implement 7th and 8th grade CTE programming at Fremont Middle School. The Skilled and Technical Sciences program at the Middle School is being revised to expose and prepare students for career opportunities and training being created with the opening of the FHS CTE Center. The grant award is for $200,000.
The second grant is a DYTI – Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) II grant for 7th-12th grade Career and Technical Education (CTE). The funds awarded for this grant will be used to equip and implement CTE programming at Fremont High School. The new CTE Center will open in August of 2024 with six labs, exposing students to a variety of careers. The grant award is for $500,000.
“The timing of these grants works well with the preparation, planning and opening of the FPS CTE Center,” said Scott Jensen, executive director of secondary operations. “During the pre-planning stages of the bond issue, GFDC worked with FPS to meet with local industries and businesses to determine the scope of the bond and programming in the center.”
The planning for the CTE Center programming is ongoing. FPS and Metropolitan Community College have been engaged in this important work.
The Greater Fremont Development Council has been a partner with FPS on this venture from the beginning; it’s vital to our local
economy to help students start exploring their career opportunities early” said Megan Skiles, president and CEO of GFDC. “When the opportunity was presented to apply for this valuable funding we worked together to complete the application process.”
The state launched DYTI in 2015 to inspire young Nebraskans to explore careers in manufacturing, information technology, health sciences and other fields where talent is in high demand. Each year, DYTI funding supports partnerships between employers and area schools to provide career-focused instruction and interactive educational experiences for students.
“In the end, this grant will allow us to continue to develop and implement programming opportunities in high wage, high skill, high demand areas which have been identified as needs within our community,” FPS Superintendent Mark Shepard said.
