New Partnerships Between PMIEF and DiscoverE and Junior Achievement Europe Teach Youth Project Management Skills and Equip Them for 21st Century Success

Grants totaling more than US$ 1.5 million help young people apply project management to STEM and entrepreneurial endeavors

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF) today announced its partnerships with Discover Engineering (DiscoverE) and Junior Achievement Europe (JA Europe). The partnerships will integrate project management into programming that prepares youth to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professions and build microenterprises—small businesses that employ few people—that problem solve community needs. PMIEF is a 501(c)(3) supporting charitable organization of Project Management Institute (PMI), the world's leading association for project professionals and changemakers.

Partnering with the world’s leading youth-serving non-profits enables PMIEF to carry out its mission of empowering young people to realize their potential and transform lives through project management. These partnerships introduce young people to project management foundations as they engage in highly experiential activities with organizations like DiscoverE and JA Europe, which equips them for 21^st century success. Additionally, PMIEF partnerships, like those with DiscoverE and JA Europe, provide in-kind project management fundamentals training and expert project management coaching for staff to build organizational capacity.

"Learning effective project management skills increases the likelihood that young changemakers will achieve their academic, professional, and personal goals," said Sunil Prashara, President and CEO of Project Management Institute. "DiscoverE and JA Europe each boast an impressive record of accomplishment in delivering programming that strengthens the ability of young people to fine-tune what PMI calls their ‘power skills’ – thinking critically, communicating effectively, and skillfully leading themselves and others. I’m confident these partnerships will not only make a difference in their individual lives, but also in their ability to drive impact on the world."

As part of PMIEF’s new partnership with DiscoverE, the two will play a poignant role in inspiring 5 million young people to invent, design, and create "things that matter" through its highly compelling programming. Previously, PMIEF worked with DiscoverE to integrate project management skills into its Future City^® Competition, an annual engineering competition that encourages more than 40,000 middle school students to architect a city 100 years in the future that addresses social, environmental, and technological concerns. As part of the new partnership, PMIEF will grant DiscoverE US$570,000 and help them create project management-framed youth resources such as an interactive game, engineering activities, webinars, and career spotlights so Future City participants learn basic project management tools.

“PMIEF has been an incredible partner for Discover Engineering over the years,” said Kathy Renzetti, Executive Director of DiscoverE. “Both organizations recognize the natural synergy between teaching project management skills and the engineering design process making our collaboration a natural fit. We are excited to continue working together to provide programs impacting millions of educators and students each year.”

In its collaboration with JA Europe, PMIEF will play a part in JA Europe’s work to teach critical lessons in work readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship and prepare youth to successfully compete in the future global economy. Reaching more than 4 million young people in 40 countries each year, the organization equips them for meaningful careers and entrepreneurial endeavors. As part of its partnership with JA Europe, PMIEF will grant US$976,637 to integrate project management into the JA Company Programme in 21 member nations. This competition for young changemakers ages 15 to 19 challenges them to design a microenterprise that fulfills an unmet need in their community. In addition, JA Europe will integrate project management into its Entrepreneurial Skills Pass (ESP)™ certification that JA Company Programme participants may earn to verify they possess the competence required to either launch their own venture or successfully gain employment.

“We are grateful for the support of PMIEF in equipping our JA students with important project management skills so that they can apply them in a real-world context, and in helping JA staff across Europe build their project management capacity," said Salvatore Nigro, CEO of JA Europe. "This partnership starts a new phase for our organization and will allow us to do more – and together, better – for the youth we serve!”

To learn more about PMIEF’s youth-serving non-profit work, visit: https://pmief.org/for-nonprofits/our-partners. To learn more about DiscoverE and its Future City Competition, visit: http://www.discovere.org/our-programs/future-city and visit http://www.jaeurope.org/education/ja-programmes/44-company-programme.html to learn more about JA Europe’s JA Company Programme.

About DiscoverE

DiscoverE is leading a growing volunteer movement that inspires and informs present and future generations to discover engineering. Our network of volunteers in the US and abroad is drawn from the DiscoverE coalition of more than 100 professional societies, major corporations and government agencies. Together we meet a vital need: introducing students, parents, and educators to engineering, engaging them in hands-on engineering experiences and making science and math relevant. For more information, visit www.discovere.org.

About JA Europe

JA Europe is the largest non-profit in Europe dedicated to preparing young people for employment and entrepreneurship. JA Europe is a member of JA Worldwide® which for 100 years has delivered hands on, experiential learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy. JA creates pathways for employability, job creation and financial success.

Last school year, the JA network in Europe reached almost 4 million young people across 40 countries with the support of nearly 100,000 business volunteers and over 140,000 teachers/educators. For more information, visit: www.jaeurope.org/

About PMI Educational Foundation

PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF) is a 501(c)(3) supporting organization of Project Management Institute (PMI), the world's leading not-for-profit professional membership association for those who consider project, program, or portfolio management their profession. Founded in 1990, PMIEF cultivates long-term relationships with nonprofits across the globe to help them integrate project management into their youth programs and to build their own project management capacity. The Foundation achieves its mission to “enable youth to realize their potential and transform lives through project management” and its vision for “inspiring youth to achieve their goals, making dreams a reality” by investing in high-quality organizations that exemplify a commitment to preparing young people for 21st century success and an appreciation for both the societal application and value of project management. Visit PMIEF.org for more information.

About Project Management Institute

Project Management Institute (PMI) is the world's leading professional association for a growing community of millions of project professionals and changemakers worldwide.

As the world’s leading authority on project management, PMI empowers people to make ideas a reality. Through global advocacy, networking, collaboration, research, and education, PMI prepares organizations and individuals to work smarter in an ever-changing and dynamic world.

Building on a proud legacy dating to 1969, PMI is a “for-purpose” organization working in nearly every country around the world to advance careers, strengthen organizational success, and enable changemakers with new skills and ways of working to maximize their impact. PMI offerings include globally recognized standards, certifications, online courses, thought leadership, tools, digital publications, and communities.

Visit us at https://www.pmi.org/, www.projectmanagement.com, https://www.linkedin.com/company/pminstitute, www.facebook.com/PMInstitute, and on Twitter @PMInstitute.