Intuit Launches Food Truck Program to Empower Underserved Youth with Vital Financial, Technical and Entrepreneurial Skills

September 22, 2023 at 09:05 AM EDT

Educational Program Launches in Compton Unified School District and Set to Expand to School Districts in Los Angeles, San Diego, Dallas, and Reno

Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU), the global financial technology platform that makes Intuit TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp, today announced a technical and entrepreneurial educational program providing fully operational food trucks to school districts with curriculum to teach high school students how to run and operate a small business using Intuit’s financial tools. The food trucks are equipped with commercial-grade kitchens, allowing students to build real-world, hands-on skills and experiences in a professional context and setting. The program is available in Compton Unified School District and will expand to Los Angeles Unified School District, San Diego Unified School District, Dallas Unified School District, and Washoe County School District in Reno, NV during the 2023- 2024 school year with the goal of making a positive impact on 5,000 underserved students.

These school districts were selected for the program based on the company's commitment to helping underserved students in its Prosperity Hub School Districts. Presently, just 25% of high school students are mandated to enroll in personal finance courses, with lower rates in low-income areas. This contributes to financial challenges later in life, with only 34% of Americans passing a basic financial literacy quiz, a number that continues to decline. Students who engage in the program are expected to gain valuable financial and entrepreneurial skills that will set them up for success and support their ability to prosper in the future.

“Our commitment to strengthening communities is a fundamental part of our mission to power prosperity around the world,” said Dave Zasada, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Intuit. “We launched our Prosperity Hub School Districts program to address the disparity in educational equity including access to financial and entrepreneurial education programs. As an important component of our corporate responsibility programs, this food truck program will help students develop technical and durable skills employers seek.”

Bringing Financial, Career & Technical Education to High School Students

The food trucks will operate as a work-based learning experience, enabling high school students to gain practical experience while learning and applying the financial and entrepreneurial skills necessary to run a business. The program will engage students from multiple career pathway programs by managing a fully operational food truck. Beyond culinary arts instruction, graphic design students will have opportunities to design menus and the wrap of the truck; accounting and finance students will have opportunities to help the culinary students manage their business finances; business and marketing students will be able to help grow and market the food truck business; and automotive students will be able to conduct routine maintenance and repairs on the food trucks. Intuit will also provide free tools including Quickbooks Online and the GOPayment Point of Sale app to help students manage the finances of their food truck business.

“Adapting education to meet today’s ever changing skill sets is essential,” said Dr. Silke Bradford, Intuit’s Head of K12 Business and Partner Development and former Career Technical Education Director for Compton Unified School District. “Many school districts deprioritize electives like business finance or culinary arts, viewing them as extras. Community transformation hinges on economic opportunity, and as a global financial technology platform, we believe in equipping students for the jobs of today.”

For more information about Intuit’s education initiatives, visit https://www.intuit.com/solutions/education/why-intuit/our-commitment

About Intuit

Intuit is the global financial technology platform that powers prosperity for the people and communities we serve. With 100 million customers worldwide using TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to prosper. We never stop working to find new, innovative ways to make that possible. Please visit us at Intuit.com and find us on social for the latest information about Intuit and our products and services.