Meta, the newly rebranded Facebook and Instagram parent company, recently gave $300,000 to Fort Worth ISD. The funds were a part of a grant, which will help create a virtual reality career exploration trailer.
The trailer, which Fort Worth ISD hopes will inspire careers in STEM, is set to travel to each school upon its completion. Schools around the globe have implemented STEM programs, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that in 2019, the US required 1.9 million “STEM-educated professionals.” Fort Worth ISD says the VR trailer is another step in their education partnership with Meta.
Fort Worth and Meta have had a partnership for three years, with Meta’s latest “generous” grant accelerating education opportunities. According to NBC DFW, “Meta employees have invested their time through student mentors. They have also provided robotics equipment, funding for teacher professional development, and access coding and computer science curriculum,” district officials stated.
The new virtual reality trailer will match students with “equipment not available on campus,” and allow them to explore STEM fields. Fort Worth ISD says that every student will have the opportunity to find their perfect career through the trailer.
The district hopes this will allow students to look forward and begin thinking about their future in the workforce.
Holli Davis is a regional manager at Meta, who helped bring the grant to FWISD. She said, “This forward-thinking approach to students’ future career pathways is just the type of initiative that Meta likes to support with our education partners. We could not be prouder of our partnership with Fort Worth ISD and truly thank you all for the passion you bring to the district each day.”
Meta/Facebook had their roots in Fort Worth long before the VR career trailer. Facebook’s $1.5 billion Fort Worth Data Center will finish construction in 2022 after being started in 2015.