Business, Industry STEM Education Coalition launched.

• Author: Miller, Cynthia D.
• Position: STEMNEWS

The search for scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians has become a major focus for many government and business sectors. Instead of competing for the small pool of graduates in these disciplines, disparate industries are now joining forces to develop the talent they will ultimately need.

Representatives from more than 50 companies, associations, professional societies, philanthropic and education organizations, as well as government advisors, attended the March 12 launch of the Business and Industry STEM Education Coalition at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.

Spearheaded by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Defense Industrial Association STEM education work force committee and division, the coalition's charter states its purpose as being to "enhance and elevate the U.S. commitment to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and facilitate STEM education through private and public partnerships."

With a target audience of students, teachers and employers, and a goal to double the number of STEM undergraduates from 200,000 to 400,000 by 2020, the coalition members will promote best practices via traditional and social media.

Student focus will be on bringing "proven project-based, hands-on STEM experiential learning activities to a national scale" and align them with national goals for STEM education. The focus on teachers will be to recruit, train and retain them; and for employers to nurture students with STEM aptitudes and create career tracks, especially for underrepresented groups.

In addition to increasing the number of STEM graduates, the coalition has three other goals.

First is to leverage and align its activities and resources to achieve employer engagement in all 50 states. Next is to enhance the...