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 Classroom instruction in five South Carolina school districts, including upstate disctricts Spartanburg Three, and Anderson One and Two, is “going green” with a pilot program to get students ready for jobs in the emerging field of alternative energy.
The new GreenSTEM initiative is an innovative high school course focused on green technologies. It combines science, technology, engineering and mathematics teaching with hands-on student projects using wind energy, solar power and fuel cells, among other resources. “This puts us among the national leaders in beginning a green technologies curriculum,” State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex said at a press conference this morning at Spartanburg District Three’s Broome High School. “We’re giving students the knowledge and skills to qualify for good jobs that are good for the environment.” Officials estimate that up to eight percent of the nation’s current jobs are green jobs that provide goods and services which use renewable energy resources, reduce pollution, save energy and natural resources and recycle waste. “It’s difficult to define green jobs since they involve so many occupations and industries,” Rex said. “South Carolina has the land, water, highway infrastructure and business-friendly environment to attract entrepreneurs and companies interested in further developing the green economic sector. GreenSTEM is a way to grow our workforce and help broaden the state’s economic base.” In addition to Spartanburg Three, the new course is being implemented in the Beaufort County School District, at Lexington District One’s Technology Center and at the Anderson District One and District Two Career and Technology Center. These districts volunteered for the pilot being funded by federal technical and career education funds. GreenSTEM is produced by ETG/Marcraft, a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of career and technical training curriculum and lab equipment for high schools, career centers and community colleges across the United States and internationally. The course is focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency while teaching theory and providing hands-on lab procedures in:
“GreenSTEM helps students learn and apply 21st century skills, but it also reinforces the soft skills that employers value in prospective employees, such as teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving,” Rex said. “We’re hopeful the program can expand across South Carolina, especially along the I-95 corridor where we have abundant resources and a critical need for future jobs.” Rex said the curriculum reflects the Palmetto State’s growing interest in various alternative energy systems. The state and allied business groups have already put more than $100 million into hydrogen fuel cell research. Earlier this year, another project placed buoys off the Grand Strand to study the feasibility of an offshore wind farm for generating electricity. “You may have seen news reports this past weekend that our state is now in the running for a federal grant to build a wind turbine test facility,” Rex said. “We also have a number of schools taking part in the Green Power Solar Schools program that teaches about the environment and renewable energy. “The bottom line is that green technology learning is not only relevant to real-life today, but also to the challenges and opportunities that all South Carolinians will face tomorrow. That’s why this official launch of GreenSTEM is an important event for our state, our schools and our students.” (Image provided by Greenville and Spartanburg County Schools.)
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