By WRAL Tech Wire STEM News
DALLAS, Texas – STEM means jobs.
U.S. businesses are alarmed by the declining supply of STEM-trained workers. Many STEM-related jobs are going unfilled despite high unemployment. And, many don’t know what the STEM acronym actually represents.
First of all, STEM is science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Secondly, a national event announced on Tuesday hopes to make a positive change in all these critical areas to help keep America innovative and competitive.
A three-day national event called STEM Summit 2012 will convene at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel on June 27-29 and will explore solutions and successes in the STEM fields as the pathways to jobs. The event is organized through U.S. News & World Report, Innovate+Educate, STEMconnector, and more than 40 other organizations throughout the country.
Following its successful STEM Summit 2011 at the National Press Club, the 2012 “STEM Means Jobs” event will draw thousands of participants, bringing together industry, government and associations with educators, top policymakers, and media.
Over the past 10 years, growth in jobs needing STEM skills was three times that of other sectors. The U.S. Department of Commerce projects those jobs will continue to outpace other sectors over the next 10 years.
Those jobs include many specialized fields such as computer engineering that are among the highest paying in the country, but also include attractive entry-level positions such as computer technicians.
“We believe this summit is critical to bringing industry, policy, and education thought leaders together to create a collective impact to advance the future STEM workforce that will move our economy forward,” said Jami Grindatto of Intel Corporation and chairman of Innovate+Educate. “We are pleased to partner with STEMconnector and U.S. News for this important conversation that will develop into action for our nation.”
Intel is a founding sponsor along with Lockheed Martin, Monster, CSC, and Ingersoll Rand. Each organization has a significant presence in promoting STEM education and careers.
The conference will organize the broad array of STEM workforce issues from how to engage middle-school students, to how technology can better link job openings with skill sets, to connecting educators with job creators, and much more.
Texas officials welcomed the conference. A Dallas host committee for STEM Summit 2012 currently is being formed by Innovate+Educate board member and former North Carolina Senator Eric Reeves.
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