David L. Steward, founder and chairman of World Wide Technology (WTT), was honored at NAF’s 15th annual Benefit at the Mandarin Oriental in New York on May 9, when he also announced that WWT – a technology solution provider with more than $10 billion in annual revenue – will become a NAFTrack-certified hiring partner.
NAF is a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work with high-need communities to transform the high school experience through an educational design that includes industry-specific curricula, work-based learning experiences, and relationships with business professionals, culminating in a paid internship.
NAF academies focus on one of five career themes: finance, hospitality and tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences. During the 2017-18 school year, according to NAF, over 100,000 students attended 644 NAF academies across 36 states, including D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2017, according to NAF, NAF academies reported 97% of seniors graduated with 90% of graduates planning to go to college.
NAFTrack certified hiring partners promise to support eventual job applicants who have completed the NAF course of study and graduated from high school, enrolled in college, and earned NAFTrack certification. WWT joins 15 other NAFTrack partners: Capital One, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, SAP, KPMG, Travelers, Moody’s, AT&T, Cisco, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Juniper Networks, Lenovo, Promontory, Verizon, and Xerox.
“We were so impressed with our first high school interns last year,” Steward said. “We were excited to join the movement to provide more students in the St. Louis region with the opportunities they need to build a successful future. And who knows, that future may be with World Wide Technology.”
One of those interns is Asha Amerson, a senior at Jennings High School Academy of Health Sciences. She shared with the audience at the benefit her experience of being a NAF student, which included a paid WWT internship.
“My education from NAF opened doors that I didn’t know I was able to walk through and set me up for the best future possible,” she said.
Jennings School District also offers a NAFTrack-certified Academy of Engineering and Academy of Finance & IT.
This benefit brought together students, alumni, educators, and business professionals to celebrate NAF’s work and raised over $1.5 million. The funds raised will go towards supporting and sustaining NAF’s mission nationally, and contributions will aid in providing programming, training, and materials for NAF teachers, directors, and students throughout the country.
“We are excited to have World Wide Technology join NAFTrack Certified Hiring,” said NAF President JD Hoye. “With World Wide Technology as a partner, we are expanding opportunities for students both in St. Louis and nationwide.”
For more information about NAF, visit https://naf.org/.