| Event Recap - The Impact of STEM Programs on the Workforce
On Tuesday, June 11th, SIM members and perspective members alike gathered at Enterprise Knowledge in Arlington. Our kind hosts offered the perfect venue to think creatively about the night’s topic: the changing landscape of the IT workforce. The problem at hand can briefly be described as a “pipeline problem” with words like “leakage” or “drop-off”. However, what our time together zoomed in on is the fact that our IT workforces are not congruent with the communities our businesses call home. When we look at the numbers, we know that 60% of college students are women. We know that 50% of K-12 students are from minority backgrounds.
What are we doing to capitalize of the potential of rising leaders? What are we doing to meet the talent where they are? And, if we are lucky enough to recruit that talent, what are we doing to retain, empower, and give back?
To help dig in to some of these questions, we needed a strong panel: https://simnet.force.com/EventApi__simple_event?id=a1Uf4000001dduJEAQ
Ruthe Farmer, Natalie Lorenz-Anderson, Sylvia James, and William Kerrigan represent a whole host of organizations and critical points of view. As people who have committed a large part of their careers to make the IT work not only diverse, but inclusive, their voices were irreplaceable. The following are samples of some of the most sobering moments of the conversation:
- “We designed our schools before the industrial revolution. We designed high school to prepare young wealthy men for Harvard.”
- “We still have school administrations that think they are teaching computing by teaching typing classes.”
- “It is no longer the case that children of engineers will become our engineers.”
- “My story as an IT leader is one that is unusual for the time, but hopefully classic for the women of the future.”
So, as a community of IT leaders, what can we do?
We can partner with organizations that are leading the charge in elevating STEM for all kids such as: 4H, Boys and Girls Club, Teals, and Girl Scouts. We can get in the schools early in the educational journey and share our knowledge and passion for STEM. We can encourage women to grow in the technical tracks they care about without layering on managerial pressures because they prove to be “good with people”. Lastly, we can invest. Simply put, the schools and organizations that are raising up the next generation of IT leaders do not have the resources they need to execute quality STEM education.
For this reason, it was a great pleasure to end the evening by giving a financial gift to Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital. Thank you to everyone how came out and we look forward to seeing your great work continue!
Our amazing panelists: Natalie Lorenz-Anderson, Ruthe Farmer, William Kerrigan, and Sylvia James along with our event moderator, Joe Malfesi
Attendees listening to an insightful conversation about the impact of STEM Programs on the Workforce.
Joe Malfesi presents a donation to Natalie Lorenz-Anderson on behalf of Girl Scouts Nation's Capital
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