In 2018, 2.4 million STEM-related jobs went unfilled; yet, 86% of today’s high school graduates want to pursue a career where they can implement their STEM skills. In other words, there’s a shortage of highly-skilled professionals entering the job market. In fact, 74% say finding the right talent is getting harder, and 92% of employers say their need for employees with technical skills is increasing.
America remains a net importer of high-tech products, and 86% of Americans believe that increasing STEM-trained workers is vital to maintaining the nation’s place in the worldwide economy. As just 15% of Americans pursue natural science degrees (far less than reported in other nations), the solution to the STEM job crisis lies in the hands of the education system.
In true American fashion, there’s nothing money can’t fix. In both 2007 and 2017, the America COMPETES Act and Every Student Succeeds Acts (ESSA) increased government funding for K-12 STEM. Still, there’s more we can do – down to expanding STEM studies in American classrooms. Below lies more information on the essentiality of STEM.
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