Help us inspire the next generation of STEM professionals this giving season
“The future of the economy is in STEM. That’s where the jobs of tomorrow will be.”
~ James Brown, executive director of the STEM Education Coalition in Washington, D.C.
Growth in STEM jobs, lack of STEM workforce
In our ever-changing world, it’s more important than ever that our nation’s youth are prepared to solve the complex global challenges of the future. The 21st century economy requires a workforce that is fluent in STEM. By 2025, the United States will have to fill 3.5 million STEM jobs and if current trends continue more than 2 million of those jobs will go unfilled because of the lack of highly skilled candidates.
National workforce studies have projected that employment in STEM fields will grow almost twice as fast as other fields. STEM jobs in St. Louis are expected to grow by 12.4 percent between 2012 and 2022, compared to just 9.2 percent for non-STEM jobs.
Despite this growth, the St. Louis region is falling behind other nations and cities in producing a STEM-educated workforce that will fill these jobs and drive important innovations. The 2018 State of the St. Louis Workforce study indicates that employment opportunities in the technology sector are increasing, but more than half of the employers cite a shortage of qualified workers as a barrier to their growth.
Science Centers are STEM incubators
With this demand for STEM professionals continuing to increase with each decade, it is vital that students understand the value of STEM careers by connecting them to the STEM experts of today. At the Saint Louis Science Center, we empower young people to be curious about the world we live in and understand that their own intellectual curiosity can lead to the discoveries and advancements of tomorrow.
By creating hands-on science learning experiences like Mission: Mars, Makerspace, the Discovery Room and GROW, we hope to inspire a lifelong interest in science that motivates young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Connecting current STEM professionals with future innovators
We also know how important it is for young people to meet talented STEM professionals. Through our community and national partnerships we give visibility to engineers, scientists, computer programmers and medical professionals so young people can imagine themselves as the STEM leaders of tomorrow.
Support science learning this giving season
We can continue engaging and educating young people of all ages and backgrounds because of the generosity of supporters like you! We must ensure that, no matter where children live, they have access to STEM education and disciplines.
As a free institution, we provide everyone in the St. Louis region and beyond a place to experience science in a fun hands-on environment that includes electrifying experiments at our Energy Stage, virtual reality and computer coding in GameXPloration and the opportunity for kids to meet astronauts, doctors, engineers and scientists at our SciFest events.
Please consider investing in science this giving season. With your help, we can continue to encourage young people to imagine the profound impact they can make on the world we live in by exploring what science makes possible.
