Apr. 2—TRIAD — Toyota North Carolina has committed to provide $2 million in grants in the launch of a program with Guilford County Schools and Randolph County Schools to try to help support students who are falling behind and improve STEM education.

Toyota already operates six Driving Possibilities programs around the U.S., working with the local schools and various educational support services and nonprofits, said Sean Suggs, president of Toyota Battery Manufacturing, in an announcement ceremony at The Liberty Showcase Theater in downtown Liberty.

“It’s more than a program, it’s a commitment. It’s a promise to our young people,” Suggs said.

The long-term initiative aims to close educational gaps for students through innovative, hands-on STEM programming while addressing the essential needs of students and families, Toyota said in a press release.

What the program does depends on what the local program teams find the local school systems need. For instance, in southeast Michigan, the program helped create a STEM Institute to increase the exposure of lower-income students to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) educational services and career opportunities, according to information on Toyota’s website. In southern Indiana, one focus was expanding access to pre-K education and student mental health services.

Randolph County Schools Superintendent Stephen Gainey said any boost that Driving Possibilities provides to local STEM education will make local students better prepared for jobs beyond those provided at Toyota’s new battery production plant.

“Our role is to get kids ready for the future and tell the truth about what the future holds, and the future is all about STEM,” he said.

Guilford County Schools Superintendent Whitney Oakley said she hopes Driving Possibilities inspires other employers to partner with the public school systems.

GCS also recently received $850,000 in federal funding for its Building a Better Battery Workforce workforce development project.

The Toyota USA Foundation announced the first Driving Possibilities in 2022. Suggs said it has committed $110 million to support education so far.