Juan R. asks…

Q. I keep hearing about STEM skills. What are those?

A. STEM skills (Science, technology, engineering, and math), or lack thereof, are what are being referred to as the “skills gap” that the United States is facing. Many industries require a basic understanding of these four fields but employers are finding new applicants are woefully unprepared and lacking these skills. Consequently, millions of Americans are without middle-class jobs and employers have unfilled job openings.
But a new movement is underfoot in today’s grammar, middle and high schools to go back to the STEM fundamentals. And there are all sorts of business and education initiatives to identify the skills needed for these unfilled jobs and craft career pathways for students to follow into these jobs. The good news is we have identified the problems and are working on solutions.