August 18, 2014 - Universal Technical Institute Speaks to Central Florida STEM Education Council
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(from left) Max Steiner, Admissions Representative at UTI; Marion Graettinger, Regional Admissions Director at UTI; and Central Florida STEM Council board chair Bill Duerden. |
As NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. was coming down the straightaway for his first-place win this season, he cheered to his crew team over the communication channel and said, “We did it. We got the math right on this one!”
It’s the perfect real-life example of how STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills apply to careers in the transportation industry. In fact, according to a recent study, transportation is one of the top-ten STEM careers.
Recently, Universal Technical Institute’s Orlando Field Admissions Representative Max Steiner spoke at the Central Florida STEM Council about why career and technical education deserves a seat at the STEM table.
Steiner presented with a group of seven other educators about career choices in the field and the free STEM educational resources available.
He highlighted the “skills gap” in the U.S. and how nontraditional education plays an important role in fulfilling this need. According to the Industry Workforce Needs Council:
- 12 million U.S. workers are without jobs, yet 52% of companies report difficulty filling open positions.
- 40% of the current workforce is expected to turnover within the next five years; but 58% of employers report that graduates are not adequately prepared for work.
- 53% of recent college grads are either unemployed or underemployed.
- Companies need 22 million new workers with college degrees – projected to fall short by at least 3 million workers with associate degrees or better. They also need at least 4.7 million new workers with postsecondary certificates.
“Defining, connecting, educating and communicating the relevance of STEM to our young adults is not always easy … sometimes even educators, business and civic leaders find this a challenge,” said Steiner. “But new and enhanced skill requirements in a changing workplace require educators to understand all the options for students – and it’s not always a four-year degree.”
Universal Technical Institute offers free STEM workshops for educators, as well as transportation-sponsored field trips for high school students.
“We thank Universal Technical Institute for sharing how career and technical education is part of the STEM outreach for our members,” said Bill Duerden, board chair of the Central Florida STEM Education Council. “Our organization proudly serves as a local resource in STEM and we’re happy that UTI is a part of our outreach.”
