As Director of Civic Engagement for Microsoft Chicago, I am honored to be speaking on the “Jobs and Economic Prosperity” panel at the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) 2014 Regional Policy Conference today at the Allegro Hotel in Chicago. Presented by the DGA and The Center for Innovative Policy and hosted by Governor Pat Quinn, the conference brings together governors from Vermont, Rhode Island, Minnesota and Connecticut, as well as representatives from a variety of national and global industries to talk energy, infrastructure, and job creation in the U.S.
Our panel focuses on job creation, and will be moderated by President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, Scott Paul. Joining me on the panel is Steve Smith, Vice President-General Counsel and Secretary of Amsted Industries, Inc.; Karen Atwood, President of Blue Cross Blue Shield Illinois; and Steve Pemberton, Walgreens’ Divisional Vice-President and Chief Diversity Officer.
My goal is to talk in further detail about our STEM education initiatives at Microsoft, and how generating students’ interest and proficiency in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is integral to providing jobs for graduates. Some of Microsoft’s STEM programs I’d like to bring to the table include DigiGirlz, our Students to Business (S2B) program, Imagine Cup, and our YouthSpark initiative: TEALS, which stands for Technology Education And Literacy in Schools. TEALS places computer science professionals in high schools. Today, the TEALS program is operating at 70 schools in 12 states, with more than 280 computer science volunteers teaching 3,000 students during the 2013-2014 school year alone.
A wide range of industries throughout the U.S. have openings for workers with knowledge and skills in STEM fields, but cannot find enough individuals with the background to meet that demand and drive innovation. Without a national effort to improve STEM education and increase the number of graduates in these fields, this trend is likely to continue and even worsen over time.
While the overall number of STEM graduates has increased, it is not keeping pace with U.S. employer’s needs. The problem is particularly pronounced in computer science. Our universities are producing less than half the amount of computer science bachelor’s degrees needed for the new job openings each year—which totals approximately 122,300 jobs.
Having enough graduates with the necessary skills to fill already open jobs is the issue in this case. I look forward to hearing thoughts on this at today’s DGA panel.
See you all there!
