Google’s billion-dollar announcement comes with $100K for NKC schools; Here’s how they’ll use it
March 20, 2024 | Taylor Wilmore
A $1 billion Google data center will begin impacting Kansas City before the tech giant officially opens its new facility in 2025, company and local officials said Wednesday, announcing a $100,000 investment to support North Kansas City schools.
“This partnership is more than just about technology, It’s about empowerment,” said Dr. Rochel Daniels, school district superintendent at North Kansas City, Wednesday morning during an announcement event with Google. “We want our more than 21,500 students to feel emboldened towards excellence, so thank you for putting your hand in ours.”
Government, community, and economic development leaders join Google in celebrating the announcement of Google’s billion-dollar data center in Kansas City; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
RELATED: Google to build $1B data center in Kansas City; aiming for 24/7 carbon-free energy use
The $100,000 contribution will go to North Kansas City School District’s alternative education STEAM center, which teaches science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
“We’re going to be very good for schools,” said Monique Picou, global vice president of cloud supply chain and operations at Google. “We need to re-skill the population that we have. These are good jobs, everything we do is above the living wage.”
North Kansas City schools already offer holistic support, real-world learning, resilience services, and comprehensive post-secondary planning for students’ success beyond their walls, officials said.
“We’re going to help make sure that we keep these students and folks interested. I am an electrical engineer by degree, so I have a lot of energy for STEAM and STEM, and want to help support that,” said Picou.
North Kansas City’s STEAM center includes a Google Career Certification Lab, a digital media studio, Innovation Fab lab, Career Exploration Labs, and more for students, giving them the building blocks to be better-prepared in their respective industries.
“The opportunity to earn a Google certification for their career in particular, will provide our students a way to earn industry recognized credentials in very high demand fields,” said Daniels.
Monique Picou, global vice president of cloud supply chain and operations for Google, announces the tech giant’s plans for a billion-dollar data center in Kansas City; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
In concert with Google’s planned build at the Hunt Midwest Business Center, it is launching the STAR (Skilled Trades and Readiness) program in Kansas City to encourage students to explore new career paths.
STAR will operate in partnership with Missouri Works Initiative and the Urban League to boost skilled trades entry-level opportunities, with a focus on underrepresented communities.
All STAR pre-employment programs are paid training with networking opportunities, facilitating direct employment on local construction projects.
“Everybody isn’t going to go straight to university and go into the advanced degrees,” said Picou. “That doesn’t mean you can’t have a really good quality of living and make a great impact on this community, so we want to make sure we’re doing that.”
Taylor Wilmore
Taylor Wilmore, hailing from Lee’s Summit, is a dedicated reporter and a recent graduate of the University of Missouri, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Taylor channels her deep-seated passion for writing and storytelling to create compelling narratives that shed light on the diverse residents of Kansas City.
Prior to her role at Startland News, Taylor made valuable contributions as a reporter for the Columbia Missourian newspaper, where she covered a wide range of community news and higher education stories.
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Irish favorite won’t reopen after chef’s killing; Brady & Fox could never be replicated, building owner says
The restaurant space previously home to East Brookside’s Brady & Fox is now available for lease, its owner confirmed, noting the building has been dark since the shooting death of beloved Kansas City chef Shaun Brady, a steadfast leader within the local Irish community. “We’ve been working with the family and we have all agreed…
Noelia Olivares had a vision of the sea in KC; her food truck-turned-restaurant serves up the surf
A new brick-and-mortar restaurant docked along one of Kansas City’s popular dining corridors is sailing into the blustery Midwest market this winter — with the young entrepreneur behind the counter offering her family’s fresh take on Mexican seafood cuisine. Mariscos Mr. Culichi is now open at 910 Southwest Boulevard (Taqueria Mexico long operated in the…
KC-based Jayhawk startups earn cut of $570K from Oread Angel Investors pitch event
LAWRENCE, Kansas — Four Kansas City-area startups with ties to the University of Kansas recently took home funding infusions from a newly formed network of Sunflower State investors — part of a rapidly advancing initiative led by KU Innovation Park. Members of the Oread Angel Investors network, which launched in September and now has about…
Meet 5 new startups bolstering KC innovation (now with a funding boost from Digital Sandbox)
Just-announced funding for a handful of fresh tech ventures is expected to help Kansas City founders who already are poised to make a significant impact in their industries, from health care to government to education. Digital Sandbox KC has accepted five new startups into its program. Each is expected to receive up to $20,000 in…