A 2011 STEM Report from the Department of Commerce indicates that job opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math fields (STEM) are increasing in America. Additionally, the report goes on to say that STEM workers earn 26% more on average than their non-STEM counterparts.
Good news? The report does a great job of providing data to support the need for a highly educated STEM workforce. But are employers able to recruit and hire the highly skilled employees needed?
The STEM Vital Signs published by Change the Equation indicate that the U.S. needs to increase both the rigor of coursework, and the expectations for testing in order to produce a workforce capable of competing in the global market place.
So it seems that news is mostly good. Looking five years into the future, there will be more STEM jobs, and the workers lucky enough to fill those jobs will experience higher wages and lower unemployment. The real question becomes, “How do we ensure that our schools are ready to graduate students that are career and college ready in STEM?”
