According to Geoffrey Canada, the trail-blazing educator and innovator who initiated the Harlem Children’s Zone, America has a critical shortage of people with STEM degrees. A STEM degree is focused on one of four specific areas that are vital to research and development, economic growth, scientific development, and education. Science, technology, engineering, and math degrees all fall under the STEM umbrella.
In a recent interview, Canada lamented the lack of qualified people who hold these specialized degrees. He said that “more than three million jobs are going unfilled,” because of the lack of people who have graduated with degrees in one of the four critical areas. Canada reiterated his belief that we must prepare all of our students to succeed academically so they can move on to four year degree programs that concentrate on the STEM areas and improve our world standings in academic achievement and economic development. Those considering a STEM degree to take advantage of these vacant jobs should research distance learning program and the many programs that are available for a degree in this field.
The government is in agreement with Canada, and to that end has developed a new initiative called the Educate to Innovate program. Educate to Innovate was introduced last year, and it includes the STEM initiative, which is designed to help students receive STEM degrees in order to become educators. The goal of the STEM initiative is to be annually producing 10,000 new STEM educators by 2015.
Private funding for the STEM program has reached the staggering sum of a half billion dollars. President Obama announced that the expectation is that the fund will continue to grow as more individuals and corporations announce their support for the initiative. The federal government is being greatly supported in this endeavor by these massive private contributions. Information about the different corporations providing funding for the STEM fields can be found online and research should also be done into degrees online for the most up to date educational information.
With new worldwide academic standing figures being released in the last several weeks, Americans are beginning to recognize that our place as one of the leaders in education is dwindling. The STEM Initiative hopes to slow, and eventually reverse that trend. By encouraging more students to focus on degrees on the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics, policy makers hope to improve our economic development as well as research for new scientific developments and innovations.
Whether a student hopes to become a research scientist or an engineer, or one of hundreds of other jobs available in the STEM field, it is imperative that they begin preparing for these rigorous degree programs today. There are hundreds of opportunities for high school and college students to participate in numerous science, technology, math, and engineering summer seminars that are held at universities across the nation for students at all levels. Many states also have STEM initiative programs in which they are dedicating millions of dollars in scholarships to students who aspire to receive some type of STEM degree.
Educational sources may be the best places to get information on STEM funding. A good place to start looking is at your high school guidance counselor’s office, the financial aid office of your university, or at your state’s Department of Education website. In addition to those sources, don’t forget the federal government’s Department of Education as well as other federal agencies that may be offering individual scholarships. Taking the time to research online course and the many STEM programs that are available can make college more affordable.
For the first time in many decades, the nation seems to be moving towards a new awareness of the importance of specialized educational initiatives. STEM degrees are a large part of that awareness, as people now seems to realize more than ever that the very future of the country depends on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. Focusing on these types of degree programs with extra funding may also be the deciding factor in moving America out of the longest recession in its history.

