Winston-Salem and the surrounding region have had some notable economic development announcements in recent months. In Winston-Salem, Caterpillar will open a manufacturing plant, and North State Aviation recently opened a heavy maintenance facility, while in Kernersville the new FedEx ground hub is up and running. As our economy evolves from tobacco and textile manufacturing to advanced manufacturing and more technical industries, our work force has an obstacle to overcome. To fill the higher-paying jobs of the new economy, we need educated, skilled workers with a background in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
This challenge is not limited to Winston-Salem or the Piedmont Triad region. The U.S. is producing a fraction of the scientists, engineers and technologists needed to power our economic engine. Collectively, India, China, South Korea and Japan have more than doubled the number of students receiving bachelor's degrees in the natural sciences since 1975 and quadrupled the number earning engineering degrees. Since the late 1980s, the European Union has produced more science and engineering Ph.D.s than the United States.
Why is STEM so important?
- The National Science Foundation estimates that 80 percent of the jobs created in the next decade will require some form of STEM skills.
- A survey of local technology CEOs reports that 87 percent believe that having a supply of STEM-trained workers is critically important.
- Georgetown University reports that STEM students have access to higher-paying careers and earn more at each level of education.
Our lack of STEM-skilled workers is a leading factor in the loss of high-paying jobs to other regions. One local company, TIMCO, the world's largest privately owned aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul provider, has had to move program work to other states because it could not find the trained workers it needed here.
We must encourage the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system to build on the STEM successes it has realized at Hanes Middle School, which has gone from "worst to first" in five years. As noted by N.C. A&T Chancellor Harold Martin: "We need to study Hanes and figure out how to replicate their success. It can give us insights into what we need to do to prepare teachers and principals for the next generation of schools."
To address this need, the leadership of the Piedmont Triad Partnership is sponsoring TriSTEM, a non-profit organization whose mission is to collaborate among business leaders and educators to excite and engage our K-12 students about science, technology, engineering and math. TriSTEM will focus on educational partnerships that apply the unique resources of the Triad to develop a highly competitive, skilled, and motivated workforce.
Currently in its development phase, TriSTEM is articulating goals that will combine the resources of our private sector with the strengths of our educational institutions. The focus is not simply facts and figures, but to teach our kids to think critically about the world, study methods for problem solving, and work with others to bring about effective solutions. Whether these students end up with careers as engineers, teachers, doctors or artists, these skills will not go to waste.
It's time to turn the ship of our economy head-on into the future. To do that, we must make our most important resource, our human ingenuity, a priority. With community support for TriSTEM, we will enable innovation and a healthy future economy by giving our kids a solid base of skills and enthusiasm about the sciences. If TriSTEM accomplishes its goals, we will be sending future generations into the working world with the high-paying jobs and competitive advantage that STEM offers.
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