STEM Competencies:Desirable Across a Wide Variety of Fields and

Occupations

LBUSD BTSA/AIP ProgramCorinne Blackmore

Recent STEM Trends

• According to the “STEM Executive Summary,” written by Carnevale, Smith, and Melton of Georgetown University:

• The STEM supply problem goes beyond the need for more professional scientists, engineers, and mathematicians.

• Innovation and technology change have led to demand for STEM competencies beyond traditional STEM occupations.

• Demand for STEM competencies is especially strong in fast-growing industries like Professional and Business Services and Healthcare Services.

• The intensifying demand for STEM competencies contributes to a process called “diversion” in which students and workers steer away from STEM degrees and careers.

Recent STEM Trends

Voluntary Diversion

• As a nation, our K-12 system produces enough talent in math and science to fill our need for traditional STEM workers, but more that 75% do not enter STEM majors in college.

• Students also “fall out” of the STEM pipeline in college (38% who start with a STEM major don’t graduate with one)>

• Immediately after graduation 43% of STEM grads do not work in STEM occupations.

• After 10 years in the workforce, 46% of workers with a Bachelor’s degree in STEM have left the field, often for higher paying managerial roles.

Diversion of Domestic STEM Talent is Caused By:

• 1. The set of core cognitive competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) associated with STEM exist in an increasing number of highly paid and prestigious non-STEM occupations.

• 2. Many potential STEM workers never work in STEM occupations or leave them because they have work interests and work values that are more compatible with other careers.

• 3. While STEM earnings are high relative to most other occupations, students and workers with these competencies have access to superior earnings and career choices, especially in Managerial and Professional and Healthcare Professional occupations

Implications

• Going forward, we will need more workers with STEM competencies—but not necessarily traditional STEM workers in traditional STEM jobs.

• We need to develop students with STEM competencies to fulfill the growing need across the economy.

Stem Competencies

Interests: individual preferences for work

environment

Values: individual preferences for work outcomes

Knowledge: content domains familiar to educators such as chemistry, English Language,

technology

Skills: content, processing and problem-solving abilities

Abilities: enduring and developed personal attributes

that influence work performance

Exploring the STEM Competencies

• Each group will be assigned one of the five competencies to read about in the article (found on pages 10-12)

• Discussion topics: • *What correlations do you see between the Common

Core or Next Gen Science Standards and your STEM Competency?

• *What implications or connections do you recognize between STEM Competencies and Linked Learning?

• *What connections do you see between this competency and what you are currently teaching?

Exploring the STEM Competencies

• Present: Create a poster sharing the key components of your competency, how it relates to Common Core or Next Gen Science Standards and Linked Learning, and how it connects to what you teach.