Starting this fall, Corteva Agriscience will contribute $185,000 to 25 rural scholarships for students embarking on DMACC’s Computer Languages program with an additional four-month commercial software development training program at a new Accenture location scheduled to open in September.
Corteva, DMACC, Accenture and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced the partnership during a livestream Wednesday hosted in Jefferson, where Pillar Technology and the Greene County Community School District have partnered to lead a local STEM education and workforce development initiative to encourage residents toward science, technology, engineering or mathematics careers. Pillar Technology was acquired by Accenture in 2018.
The Corteva scholarships are full-ride for students entering DMACC’s Computer Languages program at $7,500 apiece, said Jim Alcombright, IT Digital and Platforms Lead at Corteva.
“I can think of no better way to show [Corteva’s] commitment to advancing lives,” Alcombright said. “And selfishly, we’re looking to build that pipeline of talent to us, and we hope this does. … These types of critical skills are part of what we do.”
The pilot program, which will be housed in the Pillar Technology Forge starting in September, has also attracted support from the Tech, a Silicon Valley nonprofit, for STEM education in the Greene County Community School District.
“Many people who grow up in rural America feel they must inevitably relocate to pursue their education,” said Linc Kroeger, vanguard of Future Ready Iowa at Pillar Technology. “We can keep talent in rural areas by helping students gain valuable technology skills, which are critical for the jobs of today and tomorrow.”