Washington State STEM Education Foundation: Connecting Students with Tomorrow’s Careers

Headlines from the past several months point to an even brighter future for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-based employment in the Tri-Cities:

▪  Two new energy-related research facilities opening at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the next couple of years.

▪  Plans to build and operate a new commercial advanced nuclear power reactor near Richland.

▪  More than $50 million in health care projects under construction 

Critical to the success of all these new endeavors, as well as that of the large, existing science and technology sector of the Tri-Cities, is the availability of a skilled workforce.

The challenge is real: Fewer than half of the region’s students are estimated to be on track to earn the type of post-secondary credential – a four-year college degree, an apprenticeship, certification or two-year technical degree – forecast to be required by 2030 for the large majority of the state’s family-wage careers.

The Washington State STEM Education Foundation focuses on helping build a STEM education infrastructure that enables more of our local youth to meet the ongoing and future demand for STEM-proficient workers. And while the pandemic caused the foundation to adapt some of its efforts in 2020, the region’s progress toward this bold vision continues.

▪  In its role as a catalyst for community collaboration on STEM education, the foundation, with Educational Service District (ESD) 123, co-sponsored the second annual Southeastern Washington Future Workforce Summit in late 2020.

▪  More than 200 regional business and government leaders, educators, parents and students met virtually to discuss how to help students better prepare for and take advantage of future career opportunities.

▪  Representatives from the region’s major employers shared how they are working to close the talent gap and how educators and parents can help improve students’ odds of career success. Other sessions explored systemic financial and cultural barriers and solutions, how racism and discrimination impact student success and ways to become involved in the Career Connect Washington initiative.

▪  In July, Battelle announced a $1 million donation to the Foundation to expand STEM outreach. The money is being used to launch the Mid-Columbia STEM Nexus to develop experiential learning programs for underrepresented and underserved students. It will rely on a multi-pronged, community-engaged approach to unlock curiosity and fuel interest in STEM subjects and career paths. By leveraging evidence-based, hands-on approaches and creating personal interactions with STEM professionals, more and more students will aspire to be and become STEM professionals. Working in partnership with the PNNL Office of STEM, the foundation has already awarded more than $125,000 in grants to local organizations.

▪  Nearly $500,000 of new agricultural equipment, funded through Career Connect Washington’s Career Launch program, will help provide Columbia Basin College (CBC) students hands-on experience with the latest technology sought by today’s employers.

▪  The foundation also retooled its STEM Like ME!^sm suite of interactive, student-centered programs to serve a virtual audience and extended the teacher grant program, launched two media campaigns and two contests designed to inspire and re-engage parents and students impacted by the pandemic, partnered on training to expand teachers’ understanding of STEM careers in our region, served as both a Career Connect Washington and Washington STEM regional hub, and was invited to share our successes with audiences across the nation.

The Foundation is proud of the return on investment it has delivered to the community over the years. Since 2008, through working with its partners, it has attracted more than $18 million in investments in STEM education from outside the region. For our latest fiscal year, approximately 75 percent of funding for operations and programs came from outside the region.

As we emerge from the pandemic, our region is positioned to expand dramatically the engagement in the initiatives outlined above and continue to build our inventory of accomplishments. We believe the Mid-Columbia has the interest, capacity, and commitment to increase its support of STEM education many times over.

This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 12:11 AM with the headline "Washington State STEM Education Foundation: Connecting Students with Tomorrow’s Careers."