Lamenting the state of the American education system seems to be fashionable these days. Every year when some new ranking or another comes out, the ‘way it t’were’ pundits get in an uproar about America losing its edge in science and math proficiency. The latest study alarming the public shows that American children place 29th in the world for math and science proficiency. Additionally, only 44% of high school graduates are prepared for college level math, and only 36% of grads are ready to tackle college-level science.
On some levels, I agree with the hand-wringers that say the state of our education is a challenge; our school system was originally set up to teach 19th and early 20th century kids how to become better farmers and factory workers, not to solve complex scientific mysteries. The system needs major reform to meet the needs of 21st century employer, but I am not giving up on our youth just yet – and neither should future employers.
At last week’s PTCLive, I had the opportunity to watch local children compete in a FIRST competition. FIRST helps American students interact with STEM projects and opportunities. Through PTC’s sponsorship of FIRST, our “29th place” high school kids are using software such as CREO, Mathcad and Windchill to build robots that can play a form of basketball.
This level is a far cry from the Apple II that I got to use for 15 minutes twice a week back in the 80’s – although programming my own games on a Timex Sinclair with a membrane keyboard may qualify me for some sort of nerd award!
These wizkid super-nerds (and I mean that in the ‘intellectual badass‘ sense) aren’t the result of an isolated act of corporate philanthropy. In last month’s Front End of Innovation conference, Professor Peter Koen introduced the audience to several of his Stevens Institute of Technology students who had recently had their ideas accepted as Kickstarter projects (an impressive 30 of 125 of his students had projects accepted). Each team presented their projects, such as Modu-Strip and Key Vida, in front of an audience of experienced innovation professionals with poise and confidence. Several times during the conference we heard about Jack Andraka, a 15 year-old who invented a test to detect cancer. And then there was Angela Zhang who invented a nanoparticle that kills cancer cells. Yeah, I’d say these kids are alright. Not only are American students capable of grappling with complex STEM technologies, but more companies should take notice of these mentoring opportunities and help these future workforce members hone their strengths.
Aside from the feel good factor, this type of corporate philanthropy serves multiple purposes. Over 300 PTC employees volunteer to mentor FIRST students. Aside from the obvious benefit of early exposure to the tools of the trade, both students and employers benefit from sharing knowledge and perspective. It’s widely known that millennial employees seek purpose beyond a paycheck, as these reports on millennials’ career decision making processes show. These mentorships provide opportunities for young employees to find greater meaning in their work.
The intangible benefits of these types of programs, such as providing purpose and supporting stated corporate values with action, can be measured in higher engagement scores — and engagement drives revenue (read Employee Engagement for Business Results and The Age of Employee Engagement for more on the benefits of an engaged workforce). Associating your brand with something other than quarterly earnings (and corporate scandals) will give you a leg-up in an increasingly competitive hiring environment (see Talent Acquisition 2014: Reverse the Regressive Curse for more on winning the war on talent). And, in the case of STEM education programs, you can help train the next generation of workers, and help American students climb out of the 29th spot.
