Foundation’s investment supports high school students, educators in the Center for Advanced Professional Studies Network across North America

As the journey from education to employment becomes more complex, the challenges of building tomorrow’s workforce are intensifying, notably in the STEM education space. To build a foundation for long-term employment solutions for the engineering and construction industry, Black & Veatch has joined the Center for the Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) Network Council of Champions as the inaugural CAPS Network Engineering Champion.

New challenges, as well as opportunities created by globalization and evolving technology, are having significant impacts, illustrated in job openings left unfilled and critical skills lacking in the labor market. Knowing that students will need technical and essential skills for the engineering sector to thrive, the Black & Veatch Foundation initially is providing $50,000 to CAPS, a 13-year-old push to remake education using experiential learning for students by partnering them with community and business interests.

“We are thrilled to welcome Black & Veatch as our inaugural CAPS Network Engineering Champion,” said Corey Mohn, the CAPS Network’s president and executive director. “Starting in 2009 when the CAPS model was in its infancy and operating in one location, Black & Veatch was one of its first corporate partners. The company’s leadership and employees have proven over and again their commitment to career-connected education. This partnership will ignite powerful connections between professional engineers and students who will be their future colleagues.”

The CAPS Council of Champions is a select group of industry advocates and community-driven national and global organizations. As a CAPS Network Engineering Champion, Black & Veatch is committing to partnership in the work of expanding profession-based learning to deliver experience to as many students as possible, regardless of their backgrounds or locations. The CAPS Council of Champions’ goal is to unite meaningful brands across industry sectors to make a significant impact on behalf of students, teachers and community partners.

“For more than a decade, CAPS has demonstrated the inherent value of partnering business professionals with kids in helping those students achieve their dreams. This latest investment in CAPS strengthens that commitment to tomorrow’s young professionals,” said Patty Corcoran, Black & Veatch’s chief human resources officer.

Black & Veatch’s participation in the CAPS Council of Champions includes opportunities for the company’s professionals to work with engineering instructors from across the CAPS Network to influence and support work with students, mentoring and client-connected project work directly with CAPS Network students, and providing guidance, advice and support to the work and vision of the CAPS Network.

Clint Robinson, a Black & Veatch associate vice president for government affairs who served on the Blue Valley (Kansas) School District board when that system became the first to adopt CAPS in 2009, was instrumental in shaping the company’s involvement.

About the CAPS Network

The CAPS Network is a 501c3 nonprofit organization focused on paving the education-to-employment path through profession-based learning. Programs that affiliate with the CAPS Network share best practices and connections with professional partners, post-secondary institutions, teachers and students. CAPS Network membership currently includes 81 affiliate programs across 21 states and three countries. For more information about the CAPS Network, visit www.yourcapsnetwork.org.

About Black & Veatch

Black & Veatch is a 100-percent employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Our revenues in 2021 exceeded US$3.3 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media.

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