Plans for 13 national engineering academies, including three at local high schools, were announced Sept. 17 by the National Academy Foundation.

Academies planned for Morse, Patrick Henry and James Madison high schools in San Diego County will be part of a pilot program that will address the national engineering work force shortage as well as high school students’ proficiency with math and science.

The announcement was made at the “Generation NOW: Connecting Schools and Business to Keep America Competitive in the Global Economy” forum at Qualcomm auditorium. It featured seven panelists, including Carl Cohn, superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District.

“We need to know how to compete in this global economy,” said panelist Roy Romer, chairman of Strong American Schools, during the forum. “… We need to improve the quality of teaching, and I believe the business community can do a lot.”

The new program will be funded by a $3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as well as $1 million each from the Motorola Foundation, the Verizon Foundation and Xerox.

The 13 academies are expected to launch in fall 2008 and be part of a network of 110 academies within two years. From 2004 to 2014, the demand for engineers will grow by 14 percent or 195,000 jobs, according to the NAF.

Administrators from secondary and higher education schools across the country, local students and business leaders attended the forum, which was also sponsored by Project Lead the Way and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering.

Representatives from the Education Trust, Strong American Schools, the Verizon Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Motorola Foundation and the National Academy Foundation were also panelists.

— Jaimy Lee