October 2019, ScientificAmerican.com 11FORUM
COMMENTARY ON SCIENCE IN
THE NEWS FROM THE EXPERTSIllustration by Deborah LeeClosing
the Skills Gap
Why STEM education reform
is the path to a better future
By Rick Lazio and Harold Ford, Jr.If you’re a small business owner with a technology company,
this has probably happened to you: One of your best employees
is poached by a larger competitor, leaving you scrambling to
find a qualified replacement who is able to pick up the load. You
post the vacancy on every job board you can find. But after
more than a month, the demand from your clients hasn’t de
creased, and you’re struggling to keep up. Your current employ
ees start feeling the strain, increasing your worry that others
will soon follow suit and head out the door.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone—especially if you’re
looking for someone such as the ohsocoveted software develop
er, in high demand in nearly every industry owing to the advance
ment of the Internet of Things and the boom in robotics and auto
mation. Even engineering, considered by many to be a “staple” in
the American job market, is seeing shortfalls in engineers, which
will keep employers from satisfying demand.
Randstad North America reports that as of 2016 there were an
estimated three million more STEM jobs than qualified workers
available to fill them, and the Education Commission of the
States projects a 13 percent increase in that number between 2017
and 2027. Others, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, say
that most shortfalls will occur in IT rather than across all STEM
fields. Given these statistics and the rapid adoption of new tech
nology, it is clear that STEM skills will be critical in the new tech
economy. If left unaddressed, the shortage of STEM workers will
have longterm and extremely consequential ramifications such
as stagnated economic growth. This situation leaves our country
at considerable risk of losing highpaying jobs to other nations.
What do we do to fix it? The U.S. is falling behind other coun
tries in achievement in STEM areas for a variety of reasons,
including a lack of consistent exposure to the relevant subjects
for young students—particularly minority students. Although
both the Obama and Trump administrations emphasized the
importance of STEM education, with the U.S. Department of
Education investing $279 million in STEM discretionary grant
funds in 2018, more can be done to make the system consistent
for all of America’s K–12 students.
In 2015, according to the Pew Research Center, the U.S.
placed 38th in math and 24th in science out of 71 participating
nations in the Program for International Student Assessment
(PISA), one of the largest tests to measure reading, math and
science literacy. Also, the World Economic Forum reported that
in 2013, 40 percent of Chinese graduates completed a degree in
STEM—more than double the percentage of Americans. These
numbers clearly point to a disturbing trend in our country’s
ability to funnel technical labor into the workforce and remain
competitive on an international scale.
So how do we reverse this alarming trend? First,
we must make STEM curricula central to primary and
secondary school standards and encourage students to
pursue STEM careers. Second, we must rethink our
approach to education. Learning should be a lifelong
endeavor, not just a K–12 priority. Businesses laying the
groundwork for disruptive operational change via
automation, AI and other means must also prepare to
retrain their workers and give them the tech nical skills
needed for the company’s next gener ation of jobs.
Finally, immigration reform can ensure that those
who enter the U.S. for a STEM education re ceive incen
tives to stay and contribute to our economy. Immigra
tion reform would allow our labor market to draw on
the best minds available, adding much needed dyna
mism and innovation to our economy. Many issues are
driving the policy conversations this election cycle,
but the one that could make the most substantial dif
ference to our future has been shockingly ignored for
years by presidential can didates, the media and poli
cy makers. Imple menting these reforms could be nec
essary to strengthen our nation’s economic standing, but no
2020 presidential candidate has made tackling the STEM skills
gap a priority. A greater focus on STEM education could reverse
troubling trends that are threatening to take the U.S. out of the
race for tomorrow’s innovations.JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONLINE
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or send a letter to the editor: [email protected]Rick Lazio and Harold Ford, Jr.,
are former members of the U.S. House
of Representatives from the Republican
and Democratic parties, respectively.