Five million dollars already committed over two years – highlighted
by partnerships with nationally recognized partners
The Siemens Foundation announced today that it has launched a new STEM
Middle-Skill initiative, devoting millions of dollars to advancing the
development of the essential skills needed for high-growth jobs in
science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. Middle-skill
jobs typically require strong technical skills and a two-year degree,
occupational license, or certification. Such jobs, particularly in
high-demand STEM fields, often pay salaries upwards of $50,000 after two
years or less of higher education. The Foundation’s work will focus on
young adults in the U.S.
The Siemens Foundation’s new program direction was outlined today in
Washington, DC at an Aspen Institute event announcing the first class of Siemens
Technical Scholars. A partnership between Aspen and the Siemens
Foundation, the program recognizes and provides scholarships to
exemplary young adults in top STEM programs at America’s best community
colleges, telling their stories of success and describing the
opportunities that STEM middle-skill jobs offer other young adults,
their communities, and our nation. The Siemens Technical Scholars
program builds on the success of the Aspen Prize for Community College
Excellence – the nation’s signature recognition of community colleges
that achieve exceptional levels of student outcomes during college and
in the careers that follow. The Scholars announced today are all
enrolled in or completed programs at Aspen prize finalist colleges;
eligibility for 2016 will be extended to all 150 Prize-eligible
institutions.
As part of its new strategy, the Siemens Foundation also announced a
partnership with the National Governors Association Center for Best
Practices to identify effective work-based learning models and scale
them – as a critical component of state efforts to educate and train
young adults for STEM middle-skill careers. In addition, the Siemens
Foundation is supporting the NGA Center in their efforts to help the
winners of the American
Apprenticeship Grants, a $175 million dollar federal investment by
the U.S. Department of Labor, succeed in expanding and scaling
apprenticeships in the U.S.
By partnering with the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program and
the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, the
Siemens Foundation is helping young adults understand the potential of
STEM middle-skill jobs and identifying and scaling proven models of
training to get them there.
“Middle-skill STEM education and training are critical elements in
building and sustaining America’s workforce and economy,” said Siemens
Foundation CEO David Etzwiler. “The gap between the jobs being created
in STEM industries including advanced manufacturing, energy, healthcare
and information technology and the opportunity for many young people to
pursue them is simply too large to ignore. Driving more STEM
middle-skill development is a crucial factor in closing the opportunity
gap and setting students on a path to a career.”
Nearly
50 percent of STEM jobs do not require a four-year degree and pay
$53,000 on average, a reflection of the high demand from employers.
In an effort to address these underlying challenges in the United
States, the Siemens Foundation is focusing on three core strategies in
its STEM Middle-Skill Initiative:
-
Partner with world class organizations to raise awareness about the
opportunities available through STEM middle-skill jobs
-
Promote a positive perception of STEM middle-skill career opportunities
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Identify and scale effective training models
“The Siemens Foundation understands the valuable private-sector
perspective and the immense benefits of educational programs that
include apprenticeship and on-site work training,” said Josh Wyner, Vice
President and Executive Director of the College Excellence Program at
the Aspen Institute. “It is critical that community colleges and
employers work together to achieve what students care about most: strong
skills that align with good jobs. There are top-flight programs at
community colleges across the country providing the quality degrees and
job-ready skills that employers need. Our goal is to learn more about
what works, share those successes and challenge more community colleges
to deliver that kind of excellence,” he continued.
“A middle-skill education is not just a basic requirement for many of
today’s open positions, it’s also the foundation for furthering one’s
career in what is increasingly a STEM and software driven economy,”
added Eric Spiegel, president and CEO, Siemens Corporation, and chairman
of the Siemens Foundation’s board of directors. “The Siemens Foundation
and its partners are advocating and creating better programming and
awareness of STEM middle-skill development across the country to help
students, parents and educators prepare our young people for the future.”
The Siemens Foundation continues to support STEM education and
excellence in other ways as well, notably through its renowned Siemens
Competition and other programs to ignite and sustain America’s STEM
talent, which are important elements in the ongoing efforts to help
bridge today’s pressing opportunity gaps.
Visit www.siemens-foundation.org/programs/workforce-development/
to learn more about the Foundation’s new workforce development program.
For broadcast quality footage after the event, visit: http://siemensusa.synapticdigital.com/WorkforceDevelopment
The Siemens
Foundation has invested more than $90 million in the United
States to advance workforce development and education initiatives in
science, technology, engineering and math. The Foundation’s mission is
inspired by the culture of innovation, research and continuous learning
that is the hallmark of Siemens’ companies. Together, the programs at
the Siemens Foundation are helping close the opportunity gap for young
people in the U.S. when it comes to STEM careers, and igniting and
sustaining today’s STEM workforce and tomorrow’s scientists and
engineers. Follow the Siemens Foundation on Facebook
and Twitter.
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