Back in 2012, the Obama administration, flagged the expected downturn of college graduates in STEM fields of study. Meanwhile, the demand for qualified technical workforce is steadily increasing across the nation. Closer to home, the State University System of Florida determined STEM fields of study align with the economic and workforce needs of Florida; as such they are programs of strategic emphasis.
The Florida Consortium of Metropolitan Research Universities with support from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust is working on projects and innovative ways to address this issue. We content higher education can play a significant role in supporting the STEM careers pipeline. Recently faculty from our member institutions: Florida International, University of Central Florida and University of South Florida met to discuss and develop two solutions to better support students pursing physical sciences degrees. Their collaborative work aims to:
- Expose students to collaborative research projects in Physics and Chemistry
- Train students on best practices in research in Physical Science to enhance content knowledge, research skills, ethics, and management skills.
- Provide students from underrepresented populations a transformative STEM learning experience
- Prepare junior/senior Physical Science undergraduates for a successful transition into graduate programs and or the workplace
Check out this video summary from that session.
This is just one of the many ways we are partnering to provide proactive solutions to support the needs of Florida’s workforce needs.
In fact, in the coming weeks, the Florida Consortium is hosting the College to Career Summit to operationalize programs and curricular enhancements.
Related Content:
- Helmsley Charitable Trust awards $1.5 million grant to fund STEM College to Career program for students in Florida
- The National Science Foundation Awards Millions to Florida Consortium Member Institutions
- Florida universities rank in the top 25 public universities granted U.S. patents
Report:
Doubling Florida’s Job Opportunities for Psychology & Biology Majors