Incubated by The Innovation Project with the support of the North Carolina Legislature, SparkNC is a cooperative of 17 North Carolina school districts that will promote career paths to high-tech employment.
“We are designing learning experiences to re-engage students in different ways, creating new pathways into fields that hold great economic promise for their futures,” said Joe Ableidinger, CEO of SparkNC.
“Some schools may have coding camps and an AP Computer Science class, but there is no continuous learning,” explained Dr. Lynn Moody, former superintendent and adviser to SparkNC.
Moody outlined three bodies of work that the districts will share:
The new pathways will focus on careers in high-tech fields including artificial intelligence and machine learning, software development, systems engineering, data analytics, and cybersecurity.
Business partners will sponsor internships and client-related projects. District C, a North Carolina nonprofit, will support team-based internships with high-tech companies. Student teams will solve real problems for real businesses with the support of an expert coach.
SparkNC will partner with the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics to host a student-led conference this fall on ethical technology. NCSU’s Friday Institute will evaluate the program.
“SparkNC will be a proof of concept for a new way of doing school, one that is more student-centered, more industry-relevant and competency-based,” Ableidinger said.
SparkNC’s resources and pathways will be piloted by all 17 member school districts, but the intent is to benefit students across the state. This will help the state achieve ambitious goals of two million North Carolinians having a high-quality credential or post-secondary degree by 2030.
With statewide ambitions, legislative support, business partnerships, and world-class leadership, SparkNC is off to a great start. It is likely to benefit thousands of North Carolina students and become a great example of education where human development meets economic development.
