President at Bishop-Wisecarver, leveraging 70+ years of success to deliver innovative motion solutions for customers worldwide.
Many have discussed the U.S.’s projected shortage of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent, and this is a problem for so many companies—mine included—that need skilled people to effectively run many areas of our business. In fact, in some ways, my company has it harder than most because we are a 70-plus-year-old manufacturing company in northern California competing for talent with tech giants in Silicon Valley.
But what makes things more challenging also gives us an advantage, as we have been in the same community for decades. People know us. We know them. We work together to make our community stronger. While there are many strategies companies use to help develop and source their own STEM talent, one way we’ve found to be successful is community involvement. Not only can it help fill the pipeline, but it can also have a significant positive impact on the local community that you live and work in. It creates a win-win scenario for everyone and is something even the smallest of companies can do.
Becoming involved in your community starts with developing a family culture in your business. Focus on creating shared value that provides a competitive advantage to the company while simultaneously strengthening the communities in which you operate. For my company, being active with our local high schools and community colleges and supporting STEM-based programs that celebrate a diverse set of students have always been priorities.
Diversity In STEM
STEM programs are important for helping foster a love of STEM in all young minds while also helping them get on a path to success in their future careers in engineering and manufacturing. But it’s even more pressing for females—particularly in traditionally male-dominated industries such as manufacturing. While women make up about 47% of the total 16-and-older civilian workforce in the U.S., they only make up about 30% percent of the 15.8 million people employed in manufacturing industries. According to a report from Thomas Insights and Women in Manufacturing, only 1 in 4 manufacturing leaders are women.
STEM programs that target women can make a significant difference in their life trajectories. I’ve seen this firsthand when they look at me and say I am the only female business president they have ever met. By getting involved, you can put these types of dreams and aspirations in the minds of young girls starting from a young age, which they can carry through school and beyond.
Choosing STEM Initiatives
The first step in selecting the right STEM initiatives to support is to look at your company’s overall vision and purpose. In my company, our vision is to enhance the world through diversity in mechatronics. We align all of our community and nonprofit partnerships to support this goal and stay on track to see our vision become a reality.
Once this focus is in place, I encourage business leaders to consider three key options when selecting STEM initiatives that will require their company to commit time, money and effort:
1. Sponsoring A Mix Of National And Regional STEM Programs
National programs are well organized, and many include sponsor benefits for marketing and networking with companies and students (future workers). Because these programs are typically larger than local initiatives, they often involve multiple industries, which provides broader networking possibilities and more opportunities for students to learn about a variety of industries (such as your own). Likewise, regional events are also quite valuable, as they can provide companies with an opportunity to work directly with local students, teachers and families. Being able to positively impact your own community, which often includes helping families of your own employees, can make a profound difference in how your workforce views your company and can encourage the bright minds in your community to work for your company in the future.
2. Striking The Balance Between General STEM Programs And Ones Related To Your Industry
The benefit of working with programs related to your industry is that you can provide so much hands-on information specific to your area of expertise, where the participants can better understand what working in your industry would really be like. These specialized events can provide your company with access to a pipeline of future workers who are already interested in joining a company in your industry. Similarly, general STEM programs that are not related to your industry can also be beneficial. For example, there are many initiatives focused solely on increasing the number of women who enter STEM fields. By partnering with these organizations, you can not only help guide and foster a love of STEM with the participants but can also encourage more women to join your industry, or even better, your company.
3. Creating Your Own STEM Initiative
While there are so many existing opportunities to participate in, that does not mean you can’t create your own. At my company, while we participate in many activities on both a national and local level, we also decided to create a design contest to provide local students with an opportunity to obtain real-world learning experiences in the manufacturing industry. We are now in our third year of sponsoring and running this contest where we provide a challenge related to our industry and participating high school students apply their design expertise and innovation to solve that challenge. Events like these can provide invaluable, hands-on experience to students and can light a fire under their feet by showing them what they can achieve in their lives.
A Win-Win For Everyone
Community involvement has so many benefits inside and outside the company—from filling the talent pipeline to helping students navigate a path toward a STEM job and helping young women gain the confidence to pursue STEM careers. Helping students in our communities has created only positive outcomes for my business, and I encourage all leaders to start investing locally. The results can be a win-win for everyone.
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