How is the country doing when it comes to preparing students for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)?
Not good, according to a recent survey by Emerson. In fact, 40 percent of respondents reported that the STEM worker shortage has reached crisis levels.
Careers in STEM are expected to grow, but growth is hindered by a lack of qualified workers. The talent shortage has a noticeable effect on IT jobs, according to TechServ Alliance, which tracks employment growth in the sector.
One challenge is overcoming what’s known as the ‘encouragement’ gap. For instance, Emerson’s survey revealed that fewer than 50 percent of parents believe their daughter is encouraged to pursue a STEM career. The survey also unearthed respondents’ concerns with the quality of STEM education available to students. Only one-third of those surveyed believe that the resources necessary to provide quality STEM education are available to teachers.
The Skills Gap Gets Wider
The lack of encouragement and adequate training leads, broadly speaking, to a ‘skills’ gap, which the most in-demand technologies aren’t supported by enough qualified workers. Organizations have unfilled positions as they compete for a smaller pool of applicants with the right training and experience.
The skills gap is poised to grow even wider as more Baby Boomers leave the workforce, yet organizations still hesitate when it comes to investing in unskilled workers. The time and cost involved in training employees poses seemingly insurmountable risks. Specifically, because demand is so high, once those employees are trained, they can take their newly acquired skills elsewhere.
Changing the Way the World Hires
Revature’s unique model is one of the few that tackles the skills gap directly, mitigating much of the risk that comes with training employees. We partner with enterprise-organizations with specific technology needs. Then, we recruit recent graduates from top programs in the country and train them on those specific technologies. They’re prepared to start working on critical projects from Day One. We place them in positions with our partner organizations as Revature consultants, who benefit from a dependable supply of qualified workers.
For more about the benefits of partnering with Revature, visit our website.