Is the purpose of formal educational institutions to bring about a learned society where all citizens have a level of knowledge to participate equally? Or is the purpose to provide the necessary skills that will fill jobs and move our country forward? Are they exclusionary?
I’ve never been entirely clear what public schools want (maybe they don’t know either), but for private companies in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields, the answer is obvious: skilled workers. According to the 2012 IBM Tech Trends Skills Survey, only one in ten companies said they had all the skills within their company that they needed. Emerging skills like cloud computing, business analytics, global and social business sills, were lacking. The majority of companies cannot innovate until that skills gap is closed. IBM isn’t just looking to have those kind of skills within their own company, but in their global customers as well. Hence, the direct intervention with the school system.
For decades companies have donated money and/or equipment to schools in the hopes that the school system would use the tools to encourage students into STEM fields. Although there are schools that certainly try, the lack of skilled graduates is proof that the traditional model of education is not providing. The world of innovation comes from imagination, teamwork, and real-world experience. Tech companies have stepped into the school system to try to make something new happen- something that might give them the skilled workers they need.
In my interviews with Intel and AMD, I focused on the younger grades, with after school, and in-school programs designed to spark excitement and creativity within the STEM fields. While talking with Jim Sporher who leads IBM’s University Programs, I heard about partnerships and the complete transformation of higher education. In these increasingly popular programs, the company writes the curriculum for the college, brings in current employees into the classroom, and takes the students out of the classroom and into real-world environments.
While the national average of dropouts in STEM fields is high, Jim pointed out that engaging students in real challenges gives them the impetus to continue in the programs; working with actual data gives learning relevancy, and using the most current tools allows them to learn what they need. In addition, there are special programs for high school students, and women in tech and under-represented minorities.
Will direct involvement in school curriculum and teaching give the results these companies want? Is this what is best for students? Something about partnerships between profit-driven companies and national education is unsettling. Yet, how is this any different from the track system, still in use, that separates students early on into different types of career paths? Perhaps giving skills for jobs is really all schools can do, and if that’s true, they aren’t doing it well or fast enough for the private sector.
Companies are stepping in big time. According to their Corporate Social Responsibility Report, IBM provides over one hundred million dollars to higher education, with much of that being access to current software. The last ten years has seen many companies become more engaged in education, and the last year has been particularly exciting. Companies are working together through professional organizations like IEEE. Yes, profit-driven companies are all realizing they need to figure out the technology skills gap problem as a group, and change the landscape of education so they can all benefit.
Jim finds this a thrilling development in the field of higher education, and within the industry. The companies realize they cannot do this alone, everyone needs skilled workers. These partnerships give everyone the ability to coordinate and bring the entire system up. With technology changing at such a fast rate, this communication is imperative to keep graduating students relevant to the real world. And with direct access to the current technology, entrepreneurship becomes possible.
Why now? Jim stated that this is the first point in history that we have the technology and global connections for cheap and easy access to incredible amounts of data. Computing power and communication allow ideas to be shared and grown at a faster rate. The constant contact through surveys with industries of what they need, is one of the most important tools IBM uses to let educational institutions adjust their curriculum to the accelerating pace of change.
I think the most unsettling aspect of this is that I’m not more unsettled. The world is changing, and if schools are eager to let private companies keep them up to date on exactly what skills are needed, perhaps that's the only way to help our students find success in the STEM fields. What do you think?
