New president must fix the U.S. education gap

Fortune 1000 Executives.

More than half give pre-college system a failing grade and are experiencing a shortage in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) talent. Two-thirds are concerned other countries’ increased access to STEM talent is impacting competitiveness.

Just before the U.S. elections last year, the presidential candidates were warned by CEOs and other C-suite executives at America’s Fortune 1000 STEM companies that the new president should be very concerned about the country’s ability to attract and retain science, technology, engineering and mathematics workers.

That is needed in order to maintain its global leadership in science and technology.

While they believe they and other STEM companies have a responsibility to support a diverse pipeline, they also say the current American pre-college education system is failing to engage girls and minorities to pursue STEM careers.

These are among the findings of a new survey commissioned by Bayer Corporation as part of its Making Science Make Sense initiative. In the latest Bayer Facts of Science Education Survey XIII, Fortune 1000 STEM executives were polled about a host of issues related to diversity and under-representation of women, African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanics in STEM fields and their impact on U.S. competitiveness.

“What is most dramatic about this survey is the extent to which the Fortune executives speak with one unequivocal voice on these issues,” said Dr. Attila Molnar, president and CEO of Bayer Corporation.

“Almost without exception, they overwhelmingly recognize this country’s great need to tap the potential of the entire STEM talent pool, and the importance of doing so at every point on the development continuum beginning in elementary school with high-quality, hands-on, inquiry-based science education, on through college where STEM talent is refined and recruited, and then into the workplace where it must be further nurtured and encouraged.”

One way to counter this talent crisis, they said,
is to build a diverse STEM pipeline beginning at the earliest educational level.

The Need: Current and Imminent STEM Workforce Challenges
Almost all of the Fortune 1000 STEM executives (95 percent) are concerned that the U.S. is in danger of losing its global leadership position in science and technology due to a shortage of STEM talent, with more than half (55 percent) reporting their companies are already experiencing such a shortage.

When it comes to rising international competition, fully two-thirds (68 percent) are concerned that other countries’ increasing access to STEM talent is giving rival companies based in these countries a competitive advantage over them, with one-fifth (20 percent) saying they are “very concerned.”

The Seed: Growing a Diverse American STEM Pipeline
Not surprisingly, almost all the senior executives (98 percent) say it is important for girls and minorities to receive a strong science and math education beginning in elementary school in order to reduce their underrepresentation in STEM fields, with nine-in-10 (90 percent) saying it is very important.

And, say the executives, the most effective way for these students to learn science is through a hands-on, inquiry-based approach (87 percent).

However, they believe the U.S. education system is falling short here. Not one of the executives surveyed graded the U.S. an “A” when asked how good a job the U.S. pre-college system is doing in engaging and nurturing girls and minorities to pursue STEM careers. In fact, almost six-in-10 (55 percent) assigned it a failing grade of D or F.

The country’s higher education system fares somewhat better for its ability to train women and minorities for STEM careers, with executives assigning it an average grade of “C+.”

Overall, the U.S. education system gets a “C” from executives for providing U.S. companies with diverse, talented and skilled STEM graduates.

“To successfully develop a diverse STEM workforce, we have to begin at the beginning,” explained Dr. Mae C. Jemison, the nation’s first African American female astronaut and Bayer’s national Making Science Make Sense (MSMS) spokesperson.

“After all, how can we expect to graduate the necessary numbers of scientists, engineers and mathematicians from college if we don’t have enough students coming out of high school interested and prepared to work and study in these subjects?”

The Feed: Nurturing Women and Minority STEM Employees in the Workplace
In addition to supporting STEM education programs aimed at females and minorities, the vast majority of executives say they recruit from colleges and universities that traditionally serve women and minorities.

Still, recruiting women and minorities can be challenging and frustrating, according to the executives. Four out of five executives (80 percent) report their companies face challenges in hiring adequate numbers of women and minorities for STEM positions.

Of those, half (50 percent) say they are frustrated by their companies’ inability to hire adequate numbers of women and minority STEM workers.

The main sources of frustration include a limited number of women/minorities qualified for STEM positions (44 percent); problems identifying/locating/recruiting qualified candidates (29 percent); and, difficulty attracting/retaining them due to company location (19 percent).

Once hired, most executives (63 percent) report their companies have specific programs designed to nurture and retain women and minority STEM workers.

Programs are one thing; C-suite role models are another.

While nearly all the executives (96 percent) recognize the importance of female and minority role models in senior management positions, they are split over how well their companies do in providing such role models to younger workers, with half (55 percent) assigning themselves an A/B grade and half (45 percent) a C/D.

“The importance of role models and mentors cannot be overstated,” explained Dr. Jemison, a physician, chemical engineer, renowned science educator and CEO of BioSentient Inc., an emerging medical devices company.

“For younger employees, seeing people who look like you achieving at the highest levels in your chosen field is a strong signal that a company is serious about diversity.

“Being actively mentored takes that seriousness of purpose one step further and shows younger employees the company is committed to developing their talent and ensuring their success. It’s leading from the front.”

In September, Smart People will examine the performance of President Obama in view of the warning Fortune 1000 delivered to candidate Obama last September.