I’m Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Education Report.

The United States Department of Labor says jobs requiring science and technology training will increase fifty-one percent through two thousand eight.  It says this could lead to six million future jobs for those with skills in science.  Now, two companies have announced plans to help American students prepare for this future. 

The General Electric Company announced it will invest one hundred million dollars to increase the number of students who go to college.  The move is an expansion of its education program known as College Bound. 

The College Bound program aims to increase the number of students going to college from more than twenty high schools around the country.  The latest school district to receive this help is in the state of Kentucky.  The Jefferson County Public Schools and up to four other districts will receive the money over the next five years.

The money will pay for creating new ways to teach math and science, professional development for teachers and a study of the project.  Also, company officials will help carry out the project goals in the schools.

Jefferson County school officials praised General Electric for its program.  Officials say the gift will help support the schools to prepare students for the increasingly technical jobs of the future.

Earlier in September, the I.B.M. company announced a program to increase the number of mathematics and science teachers in the United States.  I.B.M. said the program will make it possible for some of its workers to become teachers after they leave the company.

Company officials say many workers who are experts in science and math have expressed the desire to teach after they retire from I.B.M.  So the company developed the program called Transition to Teaching. The program will pay each worker up to fifteen thousand dollars while they learn to teach.

About one hundred I.B.M. workers across the country will be the first to take part in the program.  I.B.M. says that if they are successful, the program will expand to other areas and maybe even to other companies as well.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.  Our reports can be found on the Web at voaspecialenglish.com.  Do you have a question about the American education system? We might be able to answer it on our program.  Send it to special@voanews.com.  I’m Steve Ember.