WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA Leads Way in Local Efforts - Scientific Leadership Law Signed Last Week

Jan. 13, 2011 - PRLog -- Last week President Barack Obama signed the America Competes Reauthorization Act of 2010, which aims to maintain national economic and scientific leadership by supporting basic research; improving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education; and fostering innovation, especially the development of new energy technologies.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2014 employers are expected to hire 2.5 million new STEM workers.  In fact, currently Florida has numerous unfilled STEM positions such as biological scientists, computer software engineers, industrial engineers and actuaries.

“WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA is leading in its efforts to promote STEM education and innovation in the Central Florida region,” said Gary Earl, president and chief executive officer of WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA (WCF).  “Since STEM and new and emerging industries are crucial to the future economic development of our region, WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA has numerous programs already in place to encourage growth in these areas.”

These programs are aimed to: increase local youth’s interest in STEM and new and emerging careers and inspire them to pursue education in these subjects; educate the region’s teachers in STEM and new and emerging careers; and retain students in these college majors.

Inspiring K-12 Students to Pursue STEM Careers
WCF’s first goal, to inspire youth to pursue STEM careers, begins at the elementary level and continues through high school.  For example, a WCF STEM College Shadow Day allowed 500 fifth graders to participate in a Junior Achievement Our County curriculum about STEM careers in Central Florida.  At the end of this five-week curriculum, the 500 students visited the University of Central Florida (UCF) to tour laboratories and the university and to receive insider knowledge from industry professionals.

WCF Industry Days, a program also in partnership with Junior Achievement, took 180 students and 20 teachers to visit a STEM organization for a half-day tour. Recent visits included Electronic Arts, Lockheed Martin and AT&T.

Another program, the STEM Summer Camp, offered six two-day camps for 150 fifth through eighth graders, where they learned about STEM careers from industry veterans, UCF grad students and student athletes with a STEM major and visited a STEM-related company to work on projects with industry experts.

Last year WCF awarded $15,000 grants to low-income schools including Evans High, Lockhart Middle and Leesburg Elementary schools to purchase materials that fostered inquiry math and science learning.  WCF also provided $1,000 sponsorship grants to 45 schools to introduce clubs or curriculum-enhancing enrichment programs such as Science Olympiad.  In an effort to support post-secondary education, WCF awarded $2,500 college scholarships to 10 high school seniors who are pursuing STEM-related degrees.

To increase the number of women in STEM careers, WCF also sponsored five Girl Scout troops where participants compete in FIRST Robotics challenges.  

Educating STEM Teachers
Because of shrinking budgets and layoffs, many area educators are teaching classes out of their subject area and therefore are unprepared to teach STEM classes.  To address this challenge, WCF created the Leader Academies in Math and Science program, which provided 160 middle school teachers with 15 hours of in-depth content on chemistry, life and earth space sciences.  

Also, the Teach Me Workshop series assisted 25 math and science middle school teachers with content delivery and classroom management.  Each teacher learned techniques using UCF’s Teach Me simulated classroom and was coached during follow-up face-to-face and technology-enhanced sessions by UCF faculty and doctoral students.

Retaining our College STEM Majors
At the college level, WCF’s goal is to retain students who have selected a STEM course of study.  For instance, UCF’s EXCEL Persistence and Recruitment Program offered 200 freshmen and sophomore STEM majoring students with tutoring in calculus, the topic that is the barrier to entry for STEM major completion, and provides incentives to students who participate in tutoring activities.

The STEM-in-School Work Experience program provided paid work experience in STEM research for students during their first two years of college study, an experience that typically only occurs at the graduate level.

WCF also focuses on creating college-level programs to support local employers’ workforce needs.  For example, WCF provided $300,000 for curriculum development, tuition support and hiring of staff for a digital media program at Seminole State College, a patient simulation technician program at Orlando Tech and a photonics technician program at the UCF.  

WCF continues to support STEM, as well as new and emerging industries, through numerous programs.  Central Florida employers can get involved in one of WCF’s projectss, such as:

- Serve as a worksite for undergraduate students to gain STEM-related work experience.
- Serve as a worksite for students to gain digital media, cyber security, biotech, renewable and sustainable energy work experience.
- Become a site for 180 students and 20 teachers to visit for a half-day tour.  
- Present about the company’s industry to elementary school fifth grade classes to develop STEM awareness.
- Sponsor a Girl Scout Troop that will focus on competitive robotics.
- Females may be a mentor for college freshmen women who are majoring in STEM.
- Participate as an industry partner at a community event designed to increase community awareness to STEM.
- Participate as an industry partner at a community event designed to increase community awareness to biotechnology.
- Recruit a participant from WCF’s Renewable and Sustainable Energy training program to work for the company.

For more information WCF’s targeted industry program or to on get involved, visit http://www.WorkforceCentralFlorida.com/employer/employer-....

# # #

WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA is the Orlando area's workforce expert, an authority on workforce planning, programs and the labor market for the Florida counties of Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Sumter counties.