PITTSBURGH — The Readiness Institute (RI) at Penn State is the recipient of the Community Engagement Award from the Career and Technical Education (CTE) division of the Pittsburgh Public School (PPS) District.

Each year, the CTE division recognizes partners that provide significant contributions to the division and actively engage the students they serve. CTE programs assist students in becoming essential workers in the fields of health care, food service, information technology, business, construction, heating/cooling, automobile repair, personal care services and more. Angela Mike, executive director of the CTE division of PPS, said many of the district's students have participated in the RI at Penn State Summer Program and it has made a big impact.

“The skills our students learn while enrolled in the RI at Penn State Summer Program kick-start their career planning and preparation with leadership and employability skills that are transferrable to any trade or industry. We had several students participate last summer, and they not only raved about their experience, but helped us recruit students from this year’s junior class to apply for this summer’s program,” Mike said. “The RI at Penn State, under Justin’s Aglio’s leadership, has been intentional about including PPS students in their programs. He has been a long-standing champion for CTE and PPS.”

Justin Aglio, associate vice president for Outreach and director for the Readiness Institute at Penn State, accepted the award at the CTE Commencement Ceremony on May 4 and said the collaboration with PPS is just getting started.

“We are honored to receive this recognition from Pittsburgh Public Schools,” said Aglio. “They have been a valuable partner since the Readiness Institute first began, collaborating with us on programs and initiatives focused on learner success in the school and the community. We look forward to connecting with the Pittsburgh Public Schools team and students for years to come.”

Forty-five learners from Allegheny County will participate in the 2023 RI Summer Program which will run June 26 to Aug. 3. The RI Summer Program assists high school students in learning more about future career paths, financial management, mentorship and digital literacy, applying lessons toward the growth and development needed to become a responsible member of a team and community.

Each learner receives a $2,000 stipend and a laptop computer to utilize while enrolled in the program. Funding is provided by the Heinz Endowments, with assistance from collaborators within the community.

Visit the RI at Penn State website to learn more about other opportunities available to learners and educators.