The Internationalization of the STEM Workforce
Several important issues related to the development of the STEM workforce arose repeatedly during the workshop. One centered on the changing demand for and supply of STEM personnel. Globalization, new technologies, and national security considerations are creating new forces in the educational pathways leading to STEM careers. U.S. industry now operates in a global marketplace and faces unprecedented international competition. Consequently, employers are moving jobs wherever they can find talent, value, and cost-effective solutions. A stagnant marketplace in some sectors of the U.S. economy has accompanied the movement of some STEM jobs overseas. Most engineering disciplines experienced little or no growth between 1996 and 2001, with some experiencing declines (National Science Board, 2004). Workforce growth rates for the physical sciences, life sciences, computer sciences, and mathematics vary, but by number of workers the only significant growth during this period was in information technology occupations.

At the same time, the number of non-US. citizens in science and engineering programs in U.S. universities and in the STEM workforce has increased. For example, data from National Science Foundation confirm a significant increase in the presence of foreign students in U.S. graduate schools. As a result, the United States has become increasingly dependent on foreign students and foreign workers in STEM fields, despite the inherent unpredictability of relying on foreign sources of STEM expertise. This has become very apparent with the change of immigration policies since the 9/11/01 attack. As foreign students find it more difficult to obtain student visas to the U.S., it becomes more essential for U.S. students to fill the gap (National Science Foundation, 2004b; National Science Board, 2003, 2004a,b).

Dealing with Complexity
Another theme emerging from the workshop was the need for educational institutions to prepare students for jobs that will make unprecedented demands on multiple skills. To compete in the global marketplace, STEM personnel will need to handle complex problem-solving tasks in addition to the more traditional tasks they might expect. For example, one workshop participant noted that many engineers can no longer be simply “technologists” — rather, they need to apply wisdom and judgment to novel or sophisticated problems encountered on the job and to be able to assess the social impact of systems. “We must educate our students to handle cultural and technical complexity,” said a participant. “We need to give them an education that will make them employable.” Such preparation is not uncommon for students in Europe and Asia where, for example, fluency in several languages is expected and familiarity with the cultural norms of neighboring countries is assumed. Several workshop participants noted that workforce diversity strengthens the ability to deal with complexity. To solve difficult problems, different and unique perspectives can contribute creative approaches that would not otherwise be taken. “Diversity is one means to achieve our goal of a highly trained and competent workforce,” said one attendee.

Building an Academic Base
Finally, an especially important consideration in broadening participation in the STEM workforce is the diversity of the faculty in academic institutions, including two-year and four-year colleges. Women, minorities, and people with disabilities are seriously under represented as faculty, especially at major research universities, in most STEM disciplines (NSF, 2004a,b,c). “If academia looked more like America,” noted one presenter, “we would be a lot closer to a solution. “Members of under-represented groups suffer from high rates of attrition at each transition point in the pathway toward a faculty position: graduating from high school, from college to graduate school, from graduate school to postdoctoral fellowships, and from fellowships to faculty positions. Furthermore, the under-representation of some groups in teaching positions is a problem throughout the educational system, including in K-12 education. “We have one faculty in this country, not two,” was a comment made at the workshop. Without role models and mentors, members of groups under-represented in STEM fields are less likely to see themselves pursuing these subjects and succeeding in a STEM career. Efforts to broaden the participation of U.S. students in these fields must include incentives to increase the number of women, minorities, and people with disabilities in academic positions (NSF, 2004a).