STEM Jobs Outlook Strong, but Collaboration Needed to Fill Jobs

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Has anyone else noticed the emphasis on corporate funded programs to "produce" a skilled workforce and or raise awareness that we do not have a skilled work force? I think it is a "watershed" moment for us as a nation to be aware that corporations are touting a "skills problem" in the same breath that they are asking for immigration reform and H1b visas for skilled workers. I expect to see more foreign-born indentured servants fill STEM positions in the near future. This is worrisome.

Holly Shumway of OR 1:19AM May 09, 2013

I say BULL.
My kid BSMe with not an interview. Of the 40 Engineer grads she knows that have graduated since December 2011/May 2012 only 2 have been lucky enough to obtain jobs. The rest are still stuck moving back home with no jobs in site. All are willing and able 22+ year olds will relocate to anywhere for employment.
WHERE ARE THE JOBS?

sarah of NY 8:04AM September 12, 2012

Why do young bright Americans not choose careers in Science and Engineering?
I came to the USA to get my PhD in a top private University 20 years ago and ended up becoming a naturalized US citizen. So, I have plenty of personal experience in this matter plus I know the experience of many of my colleagues.
I also taught in a big public PhD- granting University, and I can say within the same graduate program, the difference in IQ (am I still allowed to use this term these days?) between native and foreign students is only about 6+/-2 points (I'll let you figure out which way or you can look up the statistics on GRE Gen. Apt. scores). What is more interesting though, is that I came across many dozens of very bright American-born undergraduates and hardly any of them pursued a graduate degree in STEM. Most went to medical schools, some MBA, dental and even Law schools. Did also I mention that some of my classmates from grad school after completing their PhDs and having a “good time” in private industry for a few years went to Medical or Law Schools (lucky me to be able to get a patent advice for free now).
Why? As one undergraduate who worked in my lab (and ended up in a Med school) said: science jobs suck. I guess he knows it from his parents who are from India and both got their PhDs in the US. Low pay (compare to MD or even OD), no job security (for his parents it was an endless reincarnation of startups that do not offer provisions against stock dilution to their regular employees, i.e. even if a startup succeeded these people would have ended up with $2000 worth of stock), 10 days of vacations per year (and they could not take unpaid vacation time).
Here is another quote;
These GR and H1 B workers have extremely high turnover rates, and vastly less productivity, and no loyalty. I've witnessed repeated, long-term cycles where entire projects and divisions have stalled because expertise could not be retained within the company, costing millions of dollars. These corporations may scream about the lack of talent, but make every effort to avoid the cost of developing and keeping those skills. Who wants to invest the effort to be a STEM major, when you are treated, and compensated as a disposable commodity, anyway? My opinion is that the American corporate model is chasing itself down a hole.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2074024,00.html
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2074024,00.html#ixzz22WXA0CQV
Now ask yourself, why there is no shortage of medical doctors or dentists in the US, why these professions do not qualify for H-1B visas (unless the applicant is a researcher and not a practitioner), why the percentage of female medical school applicants and graduates went from 25 to 50% between 1980 and 2010 [https://www.aamc.org/download/153708/data/charts1982to2012.pdf ] without any special initiatives like Women in Medicine (I am parodying Women in STEM), and without any complains about family

Still A Chemist of MA 6:41PM August 03, 2012

This article does not delve deep enough in to the causes of the gap. I strongly believe that in this country employers rely too much on colleges and high schools to educate the workforce. I can remember when you could start in a company in the mail room and work your way up in to a great (even technical) job. It was called on the job training! The company made a real investment in people. Many companies do not even offer significant tuition reimbursement programs anymore. Which means US workers have to make a huge commitment financially in order to get to these well sought after STEM jobs. US companies have created cultures in which they would rather hire from the "outside" trying to capture those with college degrees over those with the necessary on hands experience. It simply boils down to under utilized human capital. If they would make more of an attempt to commit to employees and their growth including education we could see a more educated, dedicated and driven workforce. It would also lead to a more diverse mix of employees. Those who started out formally educated and those who start out with on the job training. The end result is that they get there and with good results. It would lead to better retention of skilled workers and give workers more than one way to become successful.

Shamaiye of OH 5:27PM June 30, 2012

Yes, STEM work is important to the development of the US economy for years to come. I hope young people see this. For my part I'm studying for a MLIS degree, kinda like STEM. Good read.

Ben of CA 9:32PM June 05, 2012

I agree with several of the previous comments. Real education and real desire for a GOOD education begins at home. Involved parents are a MUST. I am a 4th grade math teacher. Among other things, I believe that students in 4th grade SHOULD know their multiplication facts. Knowing the basics creates a foundation that all math learning can build on. As with just about anything, having a firm foundation makes all the difference. A student who has a proper foundation in mathematics will have the apptitude and attitude to go as far as they desire in life.

Dianne of MS 8:09PM March 27, 2012

This article is really "on the money!"

Charlotte of MS 1:59PM February 07, 2012

I love this report. My youngest son is currently a sophomore in biomedical engineering at the University of California - Davis. He's on the right track. I agree with one of the comments. Discipline begins at home. Parents' upbringing is vital.

Rigel of American Canyon of CA 9:19PM January 29, 2012

A top quartile 2002 EE/CS grad here. Sent my resume to thousands of positions over the past decade. The number of replies I received from humans can be counted on my hands, and the few interviews I received definitely weren't conducted in good faith.
The notion that there is a shortage of STEM qualified US citizens is complete and utter nonsense. The industry purged hundreds of thousands of highly qualified individuals early in the 2000s, and mostly did not rehire that talent, instead chosing to re-stock their workforces with foreign workers under various guest worker visa programs.
If American firms want US citizen STEM workers, all they need to do is open their resume queues and start making some phone calls, buying a few plane tickets, and doing some interviews. Firms like Microsoft and Google, that receive hundreds, sometimes even thousands of resumes for each open position, would be well served by actually considering more than 1% of those applicants for the jobs they want to fill. Before, of course, going straight to the H-1B's.

Mark of CA 1:01AM January 05, 2012

When you ask "So, who's responsible for grooming students to meet the requirements of the 21st-century workforce?" do you not think it should be PARENTS first and foremost? Without the initial encouragement from home, most students do not even consider STEM as a "fun" option but as something to suffer through. Without parental support, educators have a tough time encouraging students to study STEM. I do agree educators are very important in the support of STEM but, as most things, it should all start at home with the students' parents.

Susy Johnson of WV 10:58AM November 18, 2011