More than 10 years after it was created as a way to get businesses involved with helping mentor students, it is safe to say Partners in Education is going strong.

In fact, that might be an understatement.

Having a presence in every school in the district, PIE has grown from that initial effort sponsored by Clark County Community Education to encompass a variety of unique programs including its original partnerships with businesses and organizations, a network of volunteers and a list of community members who speak regularly to students about their careers and hobbies.

The focus is now on both increasing the number of volunteers as well as increasing the types of partnerships.

The program ended the 2016-17 school year with 16 partners and 58 volunteers. For this year, the organization has added three additional partners and hopes to end the year with 75 volunteers.

A recent success story was last year’s co-op program at Leggett and Platt that enabled several high school students to turn internships into full-time jobs after graduation.

PIE leaders are now looking for businesses, churches or organizations that want to create partnerships to help CCPS students, and they are willing to think outside the box to make it work.

They are also seeking individual volunteers to work in the schools as tutors and mentors, or just help the organization itself by assisting with behind-the-scenes work, such as creating posters or setting up at events.

Partners in Education is a great program that strengthens Clark County’s business community while also investing in the success of our youth.

We know the second decade can be even more successful than the first. The proof is in the strong results.