Final Coat
PPG, Catalyst Connection partner to offer
high school students real-world experience
PPG recently kicked off the second year of the PPG Adventures in Technology (AIT) program in the Greater Detroit area with program partner Catalyst Connection.
The program is funded by a multiyear $75,000 pledge from the
PPG Industries Foundation to help Catalyst Connection engage
high school students and corporations in and around Detroit in 10-
week collaborative projects.
“We are excited to be continuing the PPG AIT program in
Greater Detroit,” said Scott Dietz, manager of workforce initia-
tives, Catalyst Connection. “After proving its value in
Pittsburgh, with more than 50 companies and more than 1,000
students participating through the years, we’re happy to see
AIT taking hold in Detroit as well. Students are partnered with
some really cool companies to help them build on skills they’ve
learned in the classroom.”
The PPG AIT program aims to interest students in the
science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disci-
plines, and careers in manufacturing, by partnering them
with local companies to tackle real-life business issues. This
year, students from Detroit Cristo Rey High School are
teaming with PPG’s automotive technology center in Troy,
MI, on a project to determine the best color palette for a new
hybrid/electric vehicle. The other two teams are Lakeland
High School, White Lake, MI, and Vicount Industries, Inc.,
and International Academy Macomb, Clinton Township, MI,
and Lunar Industries, Inc.
Students of Detroit Cristo Rey High School concentrate on a presentation by Jane Harrington,
color styling expert for PPG Industries’ automotive coatings business, at PPG’s Automotive
Technology Center in Troy, MI, to kick off the second PPG Adventures in Technology (AIT) program in Greater Detroit.
