Governor Mary Fallin’s
TEM
ummit
Dr. Stephen McKeever
A STEM-educated Workforce:
Why it is important to Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Industry Ecosystem:
The main wealth generating businesses in Oklahoma are found in*:
•
•
•
•
•
Aerospace and Defense
Energy
Agriculture & Biosciences
Information Technology & Finance
Transportation & Distribution
All are STEM or STEM-related business sectors.
*Oklahoma’s Economic Development Initiative, 2013; Department of Commerce
The STEM Workforce Pipeline : US National Data
100
90
100
Net Loss, or Diversion,
from STEM, between HS
and 10-yr post graduation: 95%
80
Percent
70
60
50
40
75% Loss
between HS
and College
A further
38% Loss
30
20
10
0
25
15.5
A further
43% Loss
9
A further
46% Loss
5
Students who areStudents
judgedwho Students who Students who BS STEM BS GraduatesBS STEM graduate
Students
who
are judged enter College
graduate
withgraduate
Graduates
working in
capable of a STEMcapable
careerof a to study a BS in STEM working in STEM after 10working in STEM
with a BS in STEM
based on HS qualifications
STEM career
STEM
STEM
years careers after 10 years
based on Students
HS
who enter
BS STEM graduate
qualifications
College to study STEM
working in STEM careers
Data from: “STEM”, Carneville et al., 2011; Georgetown Center on Education and Workforce
Oklahoma Data
 53,656 students enrolled (in public colleges) in STEM subjects in
2010-11 (OSRHE: “Degrees of Progress”, 2012 Annual Report)
 If ZER0 drop out or change subject, there would therefore be
53,656 STEM graduates after 5-6 years.
 However, in 2011-12 Oklahoma (public colleges) graduated 5,297
students in the same STEM disciplines.
 Assume the same graduation rate for next 6 years, expect 31,782
STEM graduates.
 This represents a drop-out/diversion rate of 40% - comparable to
national statistics (38%)
Oklahoma Data
Oklahoma’s DEMAND for a STEM-educated workforce:
• Average STEM job growth expected to be 6,712 per
year for the next 10 years. (Nationally: 9,023 per year)
– But, what STEM jobs exactly? How are STEM jobs defined?
• Over same period, Oklahoma expected to replace 54%
of existing STEM workforce.
– What are the reasons for this non-retention?
• 94% of STEM jobs will require some college experience
– Again, how are STEM jobs defined?
• 70% of all STEM occupations will require a bachelor’s
degree or higher
– How are STEM jobs defined?
Oklahoma Data
Oklahoma’s SUPPLY of a STEM-educated workforce:
• STEM graduates (associates degrees and up) from
Oklahoma institutions of higher education were 5,910
in 2010-2011
•
But in what subjects? Are they the right subjects for
Oklahoma?
• High percentage of these leave state (or country)
•
How many?
• Some divert to other non-STEM careers
•
How many?
• Career Tech Certificates
•
•
•
How many in STEM Fields?
How many of these already have college STEM degrees?
How many are already employed in STEM jobs?
What We Need for Oklahoma
• Reconcile Supply versus Demand data
– Exactly how many STEM-qualified workers are needed?
– In what areas?
– With what Qualifications?
• Education and Industry need to work on this problem
together
– Identify the under-supply areas (and the over-supply
areas)
– Identify why graduates (and workers) leave STEM fields
– Identify solutions
Create a joint strategy for Oklahoma’s STEM Workforce
future
Why such a large Dropout/Diversion rate?
Are the students well-enough prepared when they enter college?
24
Science ACT
Physics
AP Physics
Chemistry
AP Chemistry
Biology
AP Biology
Genetics
Microbiology
Environmental Sci.
+ 5 Foreign Languages
23
Physics
AP Physics
Chemistry
AP Chemistry
Biology
+ 2 Foreign Languages
One of Oklahoma's
leading Public HS
22
National Average
21
Oklahoma Average
20
NCLB
19
2000
2002
EOI RTTT
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
At OSU 7-8% of incoming Freshman require remedial classes,
most of whom require remedial Math
Why such a large Dropout/Diversion rate?
Do students understand what careers are possible with STEM
qualifications?
Do students understand what STEM courses are needed at HS to
attain those careers?
Typically, young students love dinosaurs, space, etc.? Why/when/how
do they lose their interest in science?
Our Purpose Today
• Start a state-wide dialogue about STEM issues.
• Ask: what needs to be done? What can be done?
• Ask: who needs to take action, and what action?
• Ask: how we should fund such initiatives?
• Solutions not just in our schools, but also involve our
industries, our political system, our communities and
our homes.
Today we start the journey toward those solutions