Tri-City STEM partners needed | Guest Opinion

Remember the line, “If you build it, they will come,” from the Kevin Costner movie, “Field of Dreams?” (Actually, it is, “he will come,” but it has been popularized using “they.”).

The words of a mysterious voice lead Costner’s character to build a baseball field on his Iowa farm. Then, magically, long-dead major leaguers emerge from his cornfield to play ball.

It is a story line that I think adapts well to the Tri-Cities, and one that challenges us as a community.

Over decades, we have become a “field” built with world-class, industry-leading science and technology organizations. These include a national laboratory, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, major environmental and engineering firms and clean energy providers ranging from nuclear to solar. Health care and agribusiness, both major employers, have become increasingly technology driven.

And, similar to the movie plot, players — in this case, other tech-related businesses and skilled workers — have been drawn to the Tri-Cities by the opportunities here. That has been good for our community; the availability of a science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) workforce is critical to maintaining our economic vibrancy.

But, as the Tri-Cities continues to grow as a science and technology center, the challenge is to build a local STEM education infrastructure — from elementary schools to post-graduate — that enables more of our local youth to meet the ongoing and future demand for STEM-proficient workers.

The question for our community is “Who will come?” to staff the rewarding, well-paying positions that will exist in the years ahead. Who will be the players who take the field or start up new businesses?

Sadly, fewer than 40% of Mid-Columbia students are on track to obtain the necessary post-high school credentials to fill these jobs.

There is no single reason for the low number. Higher tuition costs are one factor, and potential funding cuts for higher education being considered by the state would only cause more difficulty.

Another significant barrier is limited opportunities for students to explore actual STEM jobs and career pathways while in school. This especially applies to those historically underrepresented in STEM fields — students of color, girls and young women, low-income students and students living in rural areas.

The result: Local students may miss opportunities for high-potential careers in their own backyard; employers face a shortage of local talent and fail to grow or are forced to recruit from elsewhere.

Since its founding in 2008, The STEM Foundation has played a pivotal role in uniting education, business, labor and government groups around a shared vision of advancing STEM awareness and skill development among our area’s youth. Inspiring and equipping more of our students to begin STEM careers can help create a larger, home-grown workforce to fill ongoing STEM-related needs of local employers.

Community partnerships have delivered innovative STEM-focused, career-connected experiences to thousands of area students. Major milestones include Delta High, our region’s STEM high school, and development of a suite of interactive, student-centered programs, known as STEM Like ME!, that use STEM professionals to spark student interest in STEM careers. Most recently, Battelle awarded a grant to the Foundation to work with the PNNL Office of STEM to implement a new approach, called Mid-Columbia STEM NEXUS, to develop STEM proficiency and awareness of STEM careers among underserved students in the region.

Other community efforts are providing an increased focus on this issue. MyTRI 2030’s Education Council and the Connect Tri-Cities event are two examples. The recently launched Washington Workforce Portal is another. The portal is an online resource connecting employers and students for internship opportunities.

The Mid-Columbia has much to gain by continuing to invest in building a comprehensive, quality STEM education system. I encourage business/industry and labor leaders to examine how you are investing in building a bridge from education to great careers. Can you provide meaningful workplace experiences like job shadowing and especially internships that expose students to real-world environments? Can you make employees available for in-classroom interactions? Retirees, can you offer to share your STEM skills as a mentor or tutor?

As we begin 2021, I look forward to continued and new partnerships to ensure our local youth are prepared to take full advantage of the STEM employment opportunities here in our own field of dreams.

This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 4:00 PM with the headline " Tri-City STEM partners needed | Guest Opinion."