How Supporting The STEM Pipeline Can Help With Workforce Shortages

By Lisa Egbuonu-Davis

When I attended college at MIT, I was one of 32 black students — including 8 black females — out of a class of 1,100.

While the numbers have improved at some schools, including MIT, the overall pipeline of Black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students in STEM fields, in particular, remains woefully inadequate. The recent Supreme Court decision limiting the use of race to redress historic disadvantages in educational opportunity and access will only make the disparities more persistent. In a tech-saturated era, it’s clear that dominance in STEM education is crucial for our future competitiveness.

Yet we see a persistent and glaring gap in access to STEM education among underrepresented minorities, particularly Black and Hispanic students. It’s time for all of us to step up and address this challenge — especially those of us in Corporate America. Fundamental math and science literacy are key to a wide variety of jobs — from medical tech and lab assistants to nurses, from physicians to IT analysts. We all have a role to play in building a workforce prepared to solve our challenges with innovative solutions.

But we have our work cut out for us. According to a report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, 74% of business leaders say that they have a shortage of skilled workers — yet only 3% of their philanthropic giving goes to education, and even less specifically to STEM education.

Research has shown that learning math and science at a young age is highly correlated with school completion and career success. In fact, math has been referred to as a "civil right" by activist icon Bob Moses; he persuasively argues that it is associated with lower rates of incarceration and greater access to high-paying jobs.

Long persistent education gaps were only exacerbated by the COVID epidemic with its disruption of schooling, disproportionately impacting minority and low-income students. Recent test scores show a troublesome nationwide decline in 13-year olds’ math and reading skills – once again, with the brunt of the gap impacting underserved minority and low-income students.

The persistent reality is that not all students have equal access to STEM education. Where our education system is hampered by systemic barriers, our corporate institutions can step up — by leveraging their resources and relationships to support the building blocks of STEM education.

Corporate Partnerships

One way that corporations can get involved is by collaborating with local organizations and schools to support STEM education. While starting early is ideal, there are also impactful programs and initiatives that can help students catch up later in their education. We should never give up; there are programs that teach coding to inmates in prisons, such as the Last Mile, demonstrating that it's never too late to learn these valuable skills.

Collaboration in Action

We can take a page from the organizations that shows what’s possible when they make good corporate citizenship a priority. Let’s learn from examples of successful programs that are making a difference in the STEM pipeline.

•  The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine developed a program called Science Education Partnership Award (or SEPA), which focuses on building partnerships between scientists, educators, and community-based organizations to promote science literacy and increase diversity in the STEM workforce. Johns Hopkins also sponsors the MERIT Health Leadership Academy, which provides high school students interested in health careers with a comprehensive, multi-year enrichment program including college advising, internships, and mentorships.
•  The Danaher Corporation has a foundation that supports STEM education from K-12 through professional school. Funding includes support for K-12 education, such as SUCCESS Academy charter schools and STEM learning pathways for students.
•  The National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) has a program called "Aspirations in Computing" that encourages young women to pursue careers in technology. This program has been successful in increasing the number of women in technology-related fields.

What We Can Do Together

What else can corporate America do to move the needle?

•  In addition to supporting STEM education through philanthropic giving, corporations also can support it through their hiring practices. By actively seeking out diverse candidates with STEM skills, they can help build a more diverse and inclusive STEM workforce.
• Another way that corporations can support STEM education is by offering internships and mentorship opportunities to students. This not only provides valuable experience for students but also helps build a pipeline of talent for the corporation.
• Finally, corporations can support STEM education by advocating for policy changes that support it. This can include advocating for increased funding for STEM education at the local and state levels for school infrastructure and equipment, teacher training, and professional development.

Let’s put our dollars, energy, and time where our hearts are. Corporate institutions need to recognize the importance of STEM education - and the role that they can play in supporting it. Not only will it help build a diverse pipeline of future talent to support ongoing workforce needs, but it also will drive innovation and progress in the future.

Bio:

Lisa Egbuonu-Davis, MD, MPH, MBA is VP medical innovations at DH Diagnostics.