Coalition Convened to Address Science and Math Education
More than 60 representatives from 40 organizations met Jan. 7 at The Boeing Company to plan strategies for advancing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. In 2008, AIA proposed forming a coalition to work on building the pipeline for highly-trained STEM professionals.
Among those attending were industry associations such as the National Association of Manufacturers, the Information Technology Industry Council, the Entertainment Industries Council and government agencies such as DOD, the Depts. of Education and Labor and NASA. Targeted participants either employ or represent the employers of STEM professionals. Partners from non-profit thought-leaders such as the Council on Competitiveness, the Business-Higher Education Forum and the Institute for a Competitive Workforce also participated.
The goal of the session was to find ways that organizations can collaborate on their STEM education efforts. Aerospace companies alone each support an average of 23 separate STEM programs annually, according to a survey by Aviation Week.
“The purpose of today’s meeting is to join forces,” AIA President and CEO Marion C. Blakey told attendees. “While the aerospace industry is looking to align our own companies, we know that it’s not just our industry that has a stake in this issue and that real change is going to happen when we strategically align with other industries, such as health, IT, construction and manufacturing.”
 Rick Stephens of Boeing |
The meeting was led by Rick Stephens, Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Administration at The Boeing Company and chair of AIA’s Workforce Steering Committee, which has been directed by AIA’s Executive Committee to devise an industry strategy to address STEM education.
During a daylong interactive session, participants agreed they wanted the coalition to be “action-oriented” and use all forms of media to approach the issue.
The group is considering coordinating a national STEM public relations campaign to better communicate to students and parents the importance of STEM disciplines. “Not for geeks only” was one message. Another is to pursue action at the state and local levels.
Next steps for the coalition involve a February follow-up meeting and plans for a formal launch later in the quarter.
AIA and its member companies have actively been involved in developing the future aerospace workforce. To learn more visit our Workforce Portal at: http://www.aia-aerospace.org/issues_policies/workforce/.
AIA Source: daphne.dador[at]aia-aerospace.org
