STEM Consortium as a Model to Improve Diversity of STEM Workforce

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 12:40 pm
  In Roundtable Session: National Education Politics and Policy (Table 27)

Abstract

The need for a highly skilled STEM workforce is rapidly growing, with an anticipated 11,100,000 Americans employed in STEM careers by 2031 (Krutsch & Roderick, 2022). To keep up with the demands of attracting and retaining skilled STEM professionals, the Department of Defense (DoD), in collaboration with academic, industry, not-for-profit, and government organizations, developed the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC). DSEC focuses on serving students who are underrepresented in STEM through intentional, collaborative development of STEM ecosystems across federal programs. This paper analyzes the DSEC consortium model as a prototype for agencies to develop opportunities for collaboration and growth of the STEM career pipeline, with more opportunities for students pursuing STEM careers and less competition for scarce resources.

Authors

• Rebecca Stanley, RTI International

• Melinda Griffin, American Institutes for Research

• Whitney Richardson White, RTI International

• Jennifer Preston, RTI International