Johnson Controls donates plug-in electric and all-electric vehicles to Pulaski High School in Milwaukee

27 September 2012

Johnson Controls, Inc. is donating a plug-in electric and all-electric vehicle to the automotive program at Milwaukee Public Schools’ Pulaski High School, creating what is believed to be the first program in the nation to give students dedicated access to this advanced vehicle technology.

We need to develop a talent pipeline with the skills required to work with increasingly complex vehicle technology. Our expectation is that these vehicles will inspire students to not only think about what it takes to repair automobiles, but inspire them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

—MaryAnn Wright, vice president of Technology and Innovation for Johnson Controls Power Solutions

The donation is timed to support the Pulaski’s new advanced automotive technology curriculum which is enabled by a series of US Department of Transportation grants for instructor training and classroom upgrades. Johnson Controls’ engineers and scientists will also serve as mentors and coaches to help the students learn about these new technologies in an effort to encourage them to pursue STEM-based disciplines in college.

The program at Pulaski provides the students with opportunities to explore careers in auto maintenance, repair, vehicle design and engineering. It also comes as local and state leaders have focused on workforce development and exposing students at an earlier age to career options and the post-secondary pathways to achieve them.

Students in Pulaski’s automotive program can earn credits to community colleges. This new partnership with Johnson Controls also now builds a bridge with the University of Wisconsin system.