In June 2014, President Obama hosted the first Maker Faire and launched the Nation of Makers initiative, an all-hands-on-deck call to give many more students, entrepreneurs, and Americans of all backgrounds access to a new class of technologies, such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and desktop machine tools.
Today the Administration is announcing new federal steps and private commitments to reach even more students and adults in the coming year:
- The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is launching the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Makeover Challenge to encourage the creation of more makerspaces in American high schools. With a prize pool of $200,000 that will be divided equally among as many as 10 prize recipients, the challenge calls upon eligible high schools to design models of “makerspaces.” The winners will be showcased to the broader CTE community as potential models for replication, particularly in schools that serve high proportions of low-income students.
- Today, the Acting Secretary of Education John King will reaffirm the Administration’s commitment to reauthorize and reform the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, which provides middle schools, high schools, and higher education institutions more than $1.1 billion per year to support career and technical education (CTE).
The White House will participate in a National Week of Making this June 17-23, 2016. The week will coincide with the National Maker Faire here in Washington, D.C. on June 18-19, featuring makers from across the country.
