Business Journal NORTHEAST
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PENNSYLVANIA
THE REGION’S AWARD-WINNING SOURCE OF BUSINESS NEWS AND INFORMATION
August 2016 VOL. 31 NO. 8
Getting girls interested in STEM
Half the workforce can help change the economy and grow their own wealth By Dave Gardner
The American workforce needs some help to direct women in to the vast world of science.
ADULT
EDUCATION GUIDE
Education, industry collaborate on skilled jobs Durkin: “The vast majority of decent jobs need some educational preparation and with manufacturing this is the case at a high level that now includes automation, math and science.”
program that promotes collaboration by regional employers, schools and universities to develop superior employees. The stated goals of the program include retention of NEPA’s younger workers versus relocation, an initiative to help high school juniors develop leadership skills, an annual job fair, and the development of career awareness within industries such as electronics, health care and financial/information technology. Robert Durkin, president of the chamber, pointed out that regional workforce preparation is also underway to train workers that will fill openings within utility companies due to mass retirement. These aging utility employees will soon experience a 30 percent depletion of their ranks, and grant seed money is being used to finance the training. “Utility trucks are now rolling computers and the operators require specialized training,” said Durkin. “The jobs that will be available are excellent positions.” Additional employment opportunities within NEPA include positions within healthcare, back office operations, and manuHarold Saydah, Johnson College, class of 2013
By Dave Gardner
Trends in NEPA’s workforce preparation are featuring something old, something new, and even creative uses of students preoccupation with their cellphones. Skills in Scranton, an affiliate of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, is offering a
facturing. According to Durkin, regional graduates with applicable training are simply non-existent to meet employer needs, thereby adding to the disconnect within NEPA between employers and job applicants. The regional challenges for workforce training cited by Durkin include the need for a common training vision. Families must promote the proper opportunities for their children, and a recognition must be achieved that school actually begins at home. “The vast majority of decent jobs need some educational preparation and with manufacturing this is the case at a high level that now includes automation, math and science,” said Durkin. “Families must let their kids know how important math is.”
Bishop
TCMC’s faculty. “Basic science instruction, mentorships and active research are all strong within NEPA’s bioscience educational system,” said George. “The University of Scranton offers a master’s degree in bio-chemistry, and collaboration between the University and TCMC is happening. This is all about creating opportunity.”
New twists with tradition Johnson College is taking established educational methods and mixing them with new approaches in its quest to train the skilled employees of tomorrow. Frank Mickavicz, instructor of electrical construction and maintenance technology, noted that the learning styles of Johnson’s students have changed as the internet generation fills desks at the school. Various options In response to these changes, NEPA’s rich natural gas industry is Johnson has modified its approach now receiving trained workers courtesy and makes full use of students’ smart of the School of Petroleum and Natural George phones. The students also participate in Gas at Lackawanna College. The school community service off campus, includdelivers four different short-term and associate degree programs supported by industry that ing the rehabilitation of a home. “Communication skills, particularly face-totrains students in various sectors of the petroleum face, are an important part of training here,” said and natural gas industry. According to the college, 70 percent of its gradu- Mickavicz. Richard Fornes, director of innovation and ates are hired within the industry. Specifics covered department chair of electronics, explained that include drilling, well completion and natural gas industrial electronics instruction has evolved to distribution including pipeline compression. The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC) is focus more on a systems level. The curriculum now producing crop after crop of physicians annu- still includes the basics of electronic components, but also includes communication with industrial ally. In the process, the school is helping to create networks, programming, logic and robotics. a rich environment for undergraduate bio-science education, according to Tina Marie George, M.D., a <IP0><CF51><ql><EL10><CP8>P family-medicine specialist in Avoca who is among Durkin
Adult Education Guide
Colleges inform what modern skills they supply to new and existing workforce. PAGES 15-34
ALSO INSIDE:
From an educational standpoint, the key word for formal education in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is STEM. By 2018, projections estimate that 8.65 million educated workers will be needed for STEM-related jobs, and the manufacturing sector alone will be dealing with a shortage of at least 600,000 STEMtrained employees. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that, by 2018, the bulk of STEM careers will be found within the specialized fields of computing, engineering, physical sciences and life sciences. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education is reporting that a miniscule 16 percent of high school students have a proficiency in mathematics and are interested in a STEM career.
Career ‘factories’
While the federal government provides funds for community colleges to design relevant economic programs, industry says the programs are too general to fill the skills gap. PAGE 4
Genuine progress There is no doubt that American women have come a long way since post-World War II, when most women were expected to stay home, keep house, raise the children and become experts on every modern household appliance. The professional evolution of girls and women since then is illustrated by data published by the National Girls Collaborative Project. This organization has revealed that, within K-12 education, American girls now enroll and achieve in mathematics and science at rates similar to male students, with the exceptions of physics and
The shortage of women in science, technology engineering and math is a growing problem. Introducing girls to those disciplines early on, can set the stage for their future employment. engineering. The project also reports that women make up half of the domestic workforce but earned 57.3 percent of bachelor’s degrees in all fields during 2011. This is joined by data indicating that women receive more than half of bachelor’s degrees awarded in the biological sciences, 18.2 percent of degrees in computer sciences, 19.2 percent in engineering and 19.1 percent in physics.
Postage
Despite these accomplishments, employment data indicates work is yet to be done regarding female careers in science. The project reports that within the U.S. workplace, females make up 39 percent of chemists and material scientists, 27.9 percent of environmental scientists and geoscientists, 15.6 percent of chemical engineers, 12.1 percent of civil engineers, 8.3 percent of electrical and electronics engineers, 17.2 percent of industrial engineers and 7.2 percent of mechanical engineers. Historic success Efforts to include girls and women in the sciences are alive and well in NEPA. One of the Please see STEM, Page 16
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Celebrating Women Entrepreneurs Combining talent and ‘Connections.”
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