Outstanding Collaboration: Science Museum of Minnesota and Trane Technologies
Focusing on youth STEM education and preparing the next generation for the workforce, the partnership of the Science Museum of Minnesota’s Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center and Trane Technologies is connecting youth with topics they are most passionate about in a productive manner.
Through experience and certifications, Trane Technologies and the Science Museum are helping prepare students for STEM careers by exposing them to ways to combat real issues they care about.
“We’re creating opportunities for them to develop skills, but at the same time, we want them to be interacting with STEM professionals in the field,” center director Thulani Jwacu says. “Youth are really concerned about issues that are going to impact them in the future.”
For the past four years, Trane has funded and supported youth programs focused on workforce innovation and merging corporate social responsibility into its goals. Trane doesn’t just plan various youth programs and donate; the employees actively volunteer, down to setting up a classroom.
“They go beyond a funder,” Jwacu says. “They’re really interested in participating and making sure that we have these outcomes, both for young people and for their company.”
Together, they are putting on hands-on classes led by Trane professionals that discuss topics such as climate solutions and food security. Students learn directly from industry experts and connect real-world problems and social justice perspectives with science.
It’s grown into more than just a program to support youth—it’s a mutually beneficial partnership.
“The unique thing about the relationship is that Trane understood that corporate social responsibility goes beyond performative or perfunctory volunteering opportunities,” Jwacu says. “So from the get-go, we have been working with Trane on how we can [not only] provide resources for this programming in the Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center, but also develop their employees as well as improve their approach to corporate social responsibility.”
The goal is to provide youth with modern skills that reflect what the STEM industry actually needs from the incoming workforce and introduce students to industry professionals and what they do, says Teri Vogt, the museum’s corporate partnerships manager.
This partnership is distinctive because it is centered on doing what is best for the program itself, rather than on the priorities of an organization. The curriculum and opportunities offered are a direct reflection of the evolving needs of the industry, so that young people are gaining the skills, experiences, and professional insights that employers are actively seeking.
“A lot of times, companies are very opinionated on how they want to do their philanthropy,” Vogt says. “Trane just does it in a way that is so uplifting and lets the program lead.”
