OREANDA-NEWS. October 09, 2015.  The GE Foundation was named the winner of the 2015 Corporate Citizenship Awards, in the category of Best Commitment to Education Program, by The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Center. The award honors a strategic initiative focused on improving educational and career readiness outcomes for students. Honored for its Developing Futures™ in Education program, the GE Foundation aims to apply proven GE business practices and a philosophy of systemic change to America’s education challenges.

“The demand for skilled workers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is closely linked to global competitiveness, however, the STEM education-to-workforce pipeline is broken,” said Kelli Wells, Executive Director for Education and Skills for GE Foundation. “In an effort to develop a system with a wider, sustainable impact on teaching and learning, especially in math and science and to ensure students have a more robust STEM education, GE has been helping to equip students with the ability to think critically, analyze, and solve complex problems, in an effort to address the skills gap.”

Launched in 2005, the GE Foundation’s Developing Futures™ in Education Program supports high-impact initiatives that improve the equity and quality of K–12 public education in the U.S. to ensure that Americans graduate from high school, college- and career-ready – with specific focus on enhancing teaching and learning in math and science.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Awards honor businesses for their significant positive impacts in communities around the world. For 16 years, this awards program has illustrated how every day businesses serve as a powerful force for good around the world. Companies and chambers of commerce from around the globe compete for the Citizens, making them one of the most coveted opportunities for recognition in corporate citizenship.

“GE Foundation’s Developing Futures™ in Education Program is helping create a stronger educational system in the United States,” said Marc DeCourcey, Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Center.  “Their passion and commitment to students will have a lasting, positive impact.”