Tenaris announced a $500,000 CAD donation to the University of Alberta’s DiscoverE program today at the opening of its Grande Prairie Service Centre. The student-delivered initiative of the Faculty of Engineering will extend its programs — rich in science, technology, engineering and mathematics-based content — to Grande Prairie, Fort Saskatchewan, and Calgary, Alberta as well as Estevan, Saskatchewan.
"This gift will help DiscoverE maintain and grow our presence in the communities Tenaris operates in. It connects us to them in a meaningful way because when we return to these areas year after year, we strengthen our partnerships and maximize the impact of our programs,” explained Ania Ulrich, Associate Dean, Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta.
“Having the funding and support to provide sustainable programs gives us the means to engage children in rural communities at different points in their education, which can influence their decision to pursue a career in STEM. Tenaris’s donation is significant in helping us achieve this," added Ulrich.
On average, the DiscoverE program serves over 26,000 youth annually in more than 80 communities across Alberta, Northern British Columbia, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. Tenaris’s contribution is over a five-year period with the intent to provide camps and workshops to school-aged youth in the four regions at zero cost to their families. The program targets special groups and demographics, such as indigenous and female students, as well as lower income areas, with the aim to reduce barriers and increase opportunities for youth to learn about STEM.
"We are excited about working together with the University of Alberta to extend DiscoverE into the regions where we live and operate, but even more so, we are thrilled to help youth gain exposure to, and hopefully interest in, fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics,” said Guillermo Moreno, Tenaris President, Canada, when announcing the donation at the Grande Prairie inauguration event on September 5, 2018.
“To ignite that desire is critical to many sectors, but especially advanced manufacturing and energy. At Tenaris, our excellence relies on our people. We hope that by sparking an interest in STEM and connecting youth with the University of Alberta, we can help develop the future leaders of tomorrow.”
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