Developing a National STEM Workforce Strategy A Workshop Summary (2016) / Chapter Skim
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report, some 16.5 million individuals in 2010, including many in non-STEM jobs such as sales, marketing, and management, reported that their job required at least a bachelor's degree level of science and engineering expertise (National Science Board, 2015)
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In his introductory remarks to the workshop, planning committee chair Rodney Adkins, retired senior vice president for strategic partnership at IBM, set the stage for the subsequent discussions by suggesting that five trends currently drive the U.S. economy: first, networking and interconnectedness are shrinking the world geographically and technologically; second, the unprecedented growth in data drives the need for new skills in analytics and automation that will enhance efficiency and productivity; third, the "age of transparency" that we have entered, characterized by an expectation of honesty and full disclosure, compels the need for greater access to information; fourth, people not only expect access to information, they expect it in real-time -- a demand that accelerates the pace of technological change; and fifth, a generational transformation arising from both an aging workforce
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More clearly defining what we mean by a "STEM-capable workforce," including a recognition that many so-called non-STEM careers still require some level of STEM capability or STEM savviness 6. Identifying innovative and effective ways in which federal investments in education and training can enhance STEM workforce readiness In commenting on these six overarching themes, NSF Director France Córdova said they address some of the most central and challenging questions NSF and the nation face in developing a national strategy focused on the STEM workforce.
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, "STEM knowledge and skills enable multiple dynamic pathways to STEM and nonSTEM occupations alike." The second theme addresses the need to better understand the employer's voice in developing a STEM workforce. "We have little data indicating what skills employers require of new graduates entering the workforce," said Córdova, who noted that a study conducted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities found that new employees face increasingly com plex demands requiring new skills (Wendler et al., 2010)
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The importance of this question, said Córdova, preoccupies NSF and all of the other agencies represented on the National Science and Technology Council's Committee on STEM Education. It is also, she added, a major focus of President Obama.
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• It may be that the traditional boundaries of disciplinary focus -- reflected in the undergraduate "major" and the graduate area of concentration -- are becoming increasingly blurred, resulting in a need for greater emphasis on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to classroom instruction and labs. Institutions of higher education increasingly recognize the need to ensure that students have experiences in multiple disciplines and have the opportunity to work with faculty and other students across many different areas of focus and concentration. Because the workplace of the future may be characterized by an even greater "convergence" of disciplines (and by the need for more STEM-capable workers even among those not in traditional STEM careers) , the undergraduate and graduate level experiences for all students increasingly need to reflect this reality as well.
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While efforts to broaden access and participation in postecondary s education, particularly in STEM fields, have been a national priority for many years, large achievement and participation gaps remain. More t argeted and more intensive interventions may be needed, such as programs that connect underrepresented minority and female students with industry mentors, support programs such as the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County (now being replicated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Pennsylvania State University)
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The planning committee's role was limited to setting the agenda and convening the workshop.
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