Talking Science and Math at DCCC

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to tour Delaware County Community College’s STEM Complex, a new facility dedicated to helping prepare local residents and students for jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. To say the facility was impressive would be an understatement. In the global economy, employers’ demand for workers with background and education in these areas is only going to expand. Ensuring that we can supply businesses with workers with this type of experience and knowledge is critical to keeping jobs in Pennsylvania and the nation as a whole. If we are unable to meet this demand, businesses are going to ship the jobs elsewhere, possibly overseas.

But improving STEM education on the post-secondary level is only part of the battle. We need to do a better job of focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics on the K-12 level as well. One report issued by an internal organization found that students in the United States ranked far below other developed countries in science and mathematics scores.

If we can get students interested in STEM at an early age, it will encourage them to continue into careers in these fields which will allow them to be the innovating minds of the future. Students with a strong STEM background will lead the nation to new breakthroughs in fields ranging from energy to defense, creating new industries that will generate jobs well into the future. This is vital to our global economic competitiveness, as well as creating a better world for future generations.