MAINE’S STEM EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGE
According to a recent study, 278,500 Mainers–or 34% of the state’s workforce–hold jobs in STEM-related fields.
These workers include manufacturing specialists, electricians, foresters, laboratory technicians, nurses, marine biologists and veterinarians. Some have advanced degrees, but more than half–57%–do not hold a bachelor’s degree.
STEM workers fuel industries that generate some $29 billion in economic activity, or roughly one-third of Maine’s gross domestic product.
Over the next decade, demand for such STEM workers is forecast to grow.
Nationally, demand for high-skilled STEM employees, particularly in the manufacturing, health, and defense sectors, will rise by nearly 11%, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about twice the growth rate of other professions. And in Maine, STEM-related positions are expected to make up a growing share of the roughly 75,000 jobs that will come open each year.
Without urgent action, finding enough STEM-ready Mainers to fill those jobs will be difficult. By some estimates, the state could face a shortfall of up to 150,000 STEM-skilled workers in coming decades, hampering efforts to sustain a vibrant economy and attract new employers.
That future isn’t set in stone, economists and education specialists note. By acting today to draw more students into STEM, they say, Maine can be prepared to fill the jobs of tomorrow.
IT’S NEVER TO SOON
We understand that no single institution can solve Maine’s STEM education challenges. That’s why we work together not only with families and educators at all levels, but also policy makers and the business community to create numerous pathways to STEM learning and careers.
Our programs have won praise from Maine’s political and business leaders who are acutely aware of Maine’s looming shortage of STEM-ready workers.
We won our recent $2.2 million grant from NASA thanks to the leadership of Maine’s members of Congress as well as strong support from state and local government and business leaders. They all realize it is never too soon to start engaging students in science and technology. We simply can’t wait until high school or college.
“The Challenger Learning Center helps plant a seed early in kids, by introducing them to the idea that you can use STEM skills here in Maine to make something of yourself,” says Terry Shehata, director of the Maine Space Corporation, which helps foster Maine’s growing aerospace sector. That might include helping launch satellites from Maine—as several companies are starting to do—or applying STEM skills in Maine’s longstanding forestry or farming industries. “The point is, these skills and technologies are useful across many industries,” Shehata says.
After 20 years of experience, we know that the Challenger Learning Center makes a difference in the lives of Maine’s young people. Now, our goal is to expand our reach and engage as many students as we can, as soon as we can.
“Because of the Challenger program, my love of STEM blossomed. Even now, years after I’ve completed the programs, I continue to return as a volunteer. I observe the same joy I felt all those years ago on the faces of children today.”
— Katherine Lake
Former participant and current volunteer