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Community Council
Findings
area of expertise or formal training. The
employment of science specialists is
especially useful in that regard.
There is significant growth in jobs
that engage STEM fields, both nation-
ally and within Washington state. At
the national level, growth in STEM jobs
is outpacing growth in other sectors
by a factor of three. In Washington
State, STEM jobs are expected to
increase 24 percent by 2016. Accord-
ing to data compiled by Washington
STEM, Washington state ranks No. 1 in
terms of the concentration of STEM
jobs. STEM education has not been
keeping pace with job growth: there
are currently 23,200 unfilled STEM
jobs in Washington state, and that is
expected to grow to 45,000 by 2017
(Washington STEM). Speakers suggested
that we need to develop ways to bet-
ter include women and minorities in
STEM education, since they are under-
represented in the STEM labor force.
Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement (JA) is a nonprofit
organization whose mission is to pre-
pare all youth for success in the global
economy by supporting work readi-
ness, entrepreneurialism, and financial
literacy. Junior Achievement curricu-
lum meets Common Core Standards
and is taught by volunteers who spend
five to six 45-minute sessions inside a
classroom working with students. Sur-
veys conducted by JA have found that
students who participate in the pro-
gram demonstrate better critical think-
ing and problem-solving skills than
those who did not and have higher
expectations for themselves after high
school graduation. Junior Achieve-
ment is currently available in many
classrooms throughout the region, and
could be expanded to serve more stu-
dents. There is no cost to students or
schools, but it costs JA $500 to imple-
ment each program, which is a barrier
to expansion. Another impediment is
time constraints—some teachers are
reluctant to allocate classroom time
for JA activities, due to other commit-
ments and requirements.
Community partnerships
A common theme in many study
meetings was the importance of
developing and sustaining strong
partnerships among educational insti-
tutions, businesses, and the broader
community. School administrators
at both the K–12 and postsecondary
levels, emphasized the importance
of creating avenues for students to
interact with adults through mentor-
ship, academic coaching, and lead-
ership opportunities. Cooperative
educational programs, community
service projects, and internships allow
students to apply their knowledge and
skills in real-world environments and
create networks that may lead to jobs.
Employers also reported an interest
in more job-shadowing and summer
work opportunities for high school
students.
While there currently are oppor-
tunities for students to engage in
these important partnerships, many
speakers reported that they need to
be expanded and relationships need
to be cultivated. For example, Murray
hopes that Whitman College will find
more ways for faculty and students
to collaborate within the community
so that off-campus engagement is
A common theme in many
study meetings was the
importance of developing
and sustaining strong
partnerships among
educational institutions,
businesses, and the
broader community.
Walla Walla Community College Wind Energy Technology student. Photo
courtesy of wwccmedia.