Intel sets up teacher training program online

By Sinead Carew

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Leading microchip maker Intel Corp will offer online training to help teachers incorporate technology into their lesson plans in a program it estimates is worth $300 million over four years.

Intel made the commitment in conjunction with the Clinton Global Initiative's third annual summit, which requires attendees to commit to philanthropic projects related to areas such as global warming, health, education and poverty.

"We teach teachers how to use (technology) in the classroom, not just in the areas of math and science but we train teachers how to use technology to make art, history, language or any subject more exciting to kids," Intel Chairman Craig Barrett told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

The new program is part of Intel's annual global investment of more than $100 million in improving education in schools and universities.

In its latest quarterly report, Intel posted a profit of $1.3 billion on revenue of $8.7 billion.

Intel said it would work with the governments of 15 countries to develop online courses to expand the reach, and flexibility, of in-person training programs that the company has supported for seven years.

As well as in developing countries such as India and China, Intel is working on the online program with countries such as France, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Barrett said there is a need for more qualified math and science teachers in the United States, noting that about half the engineering graduates in the country are foreign nationals. He said more scholarships and financial aid would help as the number of American high-school graduates interested in these subjects appeared to be falling.