Fortune 1000 Executives: New President Must Fix Education Gap
More than half give pre-college system a failing grade and are experiencing a shortage in STEM talent; Two-thirds are
concerned that other countries' increased access to STEM talent is impacting
competitiveness
(CSRwire)
PITTSBURGH,PA. -
September 17, 2008 - The U.S. Presidential candidates should be very concerned
about the countrys ability to attract and retain science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) workers in order to maintain its global
leadership in science and technology, say CEOs and
other C-suite executives at America's
Fortune 1000 STEM companies.
One way to counter this talent crisis, they say, is to build a diverse STEM
pipeline beginning at the earliest educational level. And while they believe
they and other STEM companies have a responsibility to support such a diverse
pipeline, they also say the current American pre-college education system is
failing to engage girls and minorities to pursue STEM careers.
These are among the findings of a new survey commissioned by Bayer Corporation
as part of its Making Science Make Sense (R)initiative.
In the latest Bayer Facts of Science Education Survey XIII: Fortune 1000 STEM
Executives on STEM Education, STEM Diversity and U.S. Competitiveness, senior
executives leading some of the country's largest chemical, pharmaceutical,
aerospace, semiconductor and other STEM industry companies were polled about a
host of issues related to diversity and under-representation of women, African
Americans, Native Americans and Hispanics in STEM fields and their impact on
U.S. competitiveness.
Specifically, the survey asked 100 of these Fortune 1000 executives to address
three STEM workforce aspects: first, the current U.S. STEM workforce needs in
the face of rising international competition. Second, the
need for a more diverse U.S. STEM pipeline to address these needs in order to
remain competitive. And third, recruitment and workplace realities in
achieving a diverse STEM workplace.
"What is most dramatic about this survey is the extent to which the
Fortune executives speak with one unequivocal voice on these issues," said
Dr. Attila Molnar, President and CEO of Bayer Corporation.
"Almost without exception, they overwhelmingly recognize this country's
great need to tap the potential of the entire STEM talent pool, and the
importance of doing so at every point on the development continuum beginning in
elementary school with high-quality, hands-on, inquiry-based science education,
on through college where STEM talent is refined and recruited, and then into
the workplace where it must be further nurtured and encouraged."
The Need: Current and Imminent STEM Workforce Challenges
Almost all of the Fortune 1000 STEM executives (95 percent) are concerned that
the U.S. is in danger of losing its global leadership position in science and
technology due to a shortage of STEM talent, with more than half (55 percent)
reporting their companies are already experiencing such a shortage.
When it comes to rising international competition, fully two-thirds (68
percent) are concerned that other countries' increasing access to STEM talent
is giving rival companies based in these countries a competitive advantage over
them, with one-fifth (20 percent) saying they are "very concerned."
Further, they think these are issues the U.S. presidential candidates should
be concerned about. In fact, nearly all (98 percent) believe the state of the
country's STEM workforce vis-a-vis its continued
competitiveness should be a major issue for the U.S. presidential candidates,
with two-thirds (68 percent) saying the candidates should be very concerned.
Diversifying the STEM talent pool is one solution to this problem, the Fortune
executives say. Almost nine-in-10 (89 percent) agree that bringing more women
and minorities into STEM fields will help solve this issue. Moreover, diversity
has other benefits for STEM companies, according to the executives, including
increasing innovation and the ability to be more competitive in the global
marketplace.
Still, underrepresentation is prevalent. Nearly all
of the executives are aware of this and many recognize underrepresentation
for the talent problem it is. Almost nine-in-10 Fortune 1000 STEM executives
(89 percent) acknowledge it exists in their industry, with a similar number (82
percent) reporting it exists in their own companies. Of those who say it is a reality
for them, 83 percent say the lack of women, African Americans, Native Americans
and Hispanics is a talent concern for their companies.
The Seed: Growing a Diverse American STEM Pipeline
Not surprisingly, almost all the senior executives (98 percent) say it is
important for girls and minorities to receive a strong science and math
education beginning in elementary school in order to reduce their underrepresentation in STEM fields, with nine-in-10 (90
percent) saying it is very important. And, say the executives, the most
effective way for these students to learn science is through a hands-on,
inquiry-based approach (87 percent).
However, they believe the U.S.
education system is falling short here. Not one of the executives surveyed
graded the U.S. an "A" when asked how good a job the U.S. pre-college
system is doing in engaging and nurturing girls and minorities to pursue STEM
careers. In fact, almost six-in-10 (55 percent) assigned it a failing grade of
D or F.
The country's higher education system fares somewhat better for its ability to
train women and minorities for STEM careers, with executives assigning it an
average grade of "C+." Overall, the U.S.
education system gets a "C" from executives for providing U.S. companies
with diverse, talented and skilled STEM graduates.
"To successfully develop a diverse STEM workforce, we have to begin at the
beginning," explained Dr. Mae C. Jemison, the nation's first African
American female astronaut and Bayers national Making Science Make Sense (MSMS)
spokesperson.
"After all, how can we expect to graduate the necessary numbers of
scientists, engineers and mathematicians from college if we don't have enough
students coming out of high school interested and prepared to work and study in
these subjects? The pipeline is critical to our future global leadership and
competitiveness. We must build a robust STEM pipeline that includes everyone
and equally values their ideas, creativity and potential. Are we succeeding
here? The Fortune executives are pretty unanimous in their belief that, at the
pre-college level, no, we're not there yet."
Do STEM companies have a role to play here? Overwhelmingly, the Fortune 1000
STEM executives say yes, they do. Nearly all executives (97 percent) say that
STEM companies have a role to play in ensuring women and minorities succeed in
science and engineering fields, and consider it important (98 percent) for
their companies to support pre-college science education programs that help
create the next generation of inventors, innovators and discoverers, with
two-thirds (66 percent) saying it is very important.
Moreover, the vast majority of Fortune executives say their companies are
fulfilling that role. Nearly nine-in-10 (87 percent) indicate their companies
or employees participate in pre-college education programs that attract,
encourage and sustain girls' and minority students' interest in math and
science. In particular, the executives see value in "Scientists in the
Schools" programs, with nearly all (96 percent) agreeing that "direct
contact with scientists and engineers is an effective way to
help students better appreciate careers in science and
engineering."
"This is clearly one area where the larger, more established STEM
companies have something to share with their counterparts," said Bridget
McCourt, director of Bayer's MSMS initiative, referring to a previous Bayer
Facts survey in which CEOs of some of the country's fastest-growing STEM
companies were polled about many of the same diversity/underrepresentation
issues.
In that survey, while roughly the same number of executives (98 percent)
acknowledged the benefits of programs like "Scientists in the
Schools," only one-third (37 percent) said their companies or employees
participated in such programs, compared with 87 percent of the Fortune
executives.
"As a company that is successfully supporting these and other types of
STEM education programs aimed at girls and minority students at all educational
levels, we at Bayer are eager to share with other STEM companies our knowledge
about exemplary programs and our insights about the challenges and
opportunities of engaging in business-education partnerships," said
McCourt, who oversees Bayer's award-winning corporate social responsibility
(CSR) initiative that advances science literacy across the United States
through hands-on, inquiry-based science learning, employee volunteerism and
public education.
In all of this, says McCourt, communication is key.
And that is one area where the Fortune 1000 STEM executives see room for their
own improvement. Only half (54 percent) say their companies are effectively
communicating the message to todays students that there are myriad job
opportunities available for them in STEM fields.
The Feed: Nurturing Women and Minority STEM Employees in the Workplace
In addition to supporting STEM education programs aimed at females and
minorities, the vast majority of executives say their companies are also
actively recruiting these groups. Seven-in-10 executives (71 percent) say their
companies have specific programs in place to recruit women and minority STEM
workers, and among them more than half (58 percent) recruit from colleges and
universities that traditionally serve women and minorities.
Still, recruiting women and minorities can be challenging and frustrating,
according to the executives. Four-in-five executives (80 percent) report their
companies face challenges in hiring adequate numbers of women and minorities
for STEM positions. Of those, half (50 percent) say they are frustrated by
their companies inability to hire adequate numbers of women and minority STEM
workers.
The main sources of frustration include a limited number of women/minorities
qualified for STEM positions (44 percent); problems
identifying/locating/recruiting qualified candidates (29 percent); and,
difficulty attracting/retaining them due to company location (19 percent).
Once hired, most executives (63 percent) report their companies have specific
programs designed to nurture and retain women and minority STEM workers.
Programs are one thing; C-suite role models are another. While nearly all the
executives (96 percent) recognize the importance of female and minority role
models in senior management positions, they are split over how well their
companies do in providing such role models to younger workers, with half (55
percent) assigning themselves an A/B grade and half (45 percent) a C/D.
"The importance of role models and mentors cannot be overstated,"
explained Dr. Jemison, who is also a physician, chemical engineer, renowned
science educator and CEO of BioSentient Inc., an
emerging medical devices company.
"For younger employees, seeing people who look like you achieving at the
highest levels in your chosen field is a strong signal that a company is serious
about diversity. Being actively mentored takes that seriousness of purpose one
step further and shows younger employees the company is committed to developing
their talent and ensuring their success. It's leading from the front."
Methodology
Results of The Bayer Facts of Science Education XIII, conducted by ICR
(International Communications Research), are based on a telephone poll of 100
C-level executives at Fortune 1000 STEM companies. While
Fortune defines its companies in terms of industry (pharmaceutical,
telecommunications, etc.), it does not characterize them necessarily as STEM
companies. In order to create such a list, Fortune 1000 companies with
high R&D employment and expenditure were identified by matching companies
on the 2007 Fortune list with a list of the 1,000 top non-European Union
R&D intensive companies prepared by the European Commission. Survey
respondents were drawn from this list. The statistical reliability achieved
conducting the 100 interviews is a maximum +/- 9.8 percent margin of error at a
95 percent confidence level.
About Bayer Corporation's Making Science Make Sense
Making Science Make Sense (MSMS) is Bayer Corporation's company-wide initiative
that advances science literacy through hands-on, inquiry-based science education,
employee volunteerism and a public education campaign. Currently, 12 Bayer
sites around the country operate local MSMS programs, which together represent
a national volunteer corps of more than 1,000 employees.
About Bayer Corporation
Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh,
is a subsidiary of Bayer AG, an international health care, nutrition and
high-tech materials group based in Leverkusen,
Germany. In North America, Bayer had 2007 net sales of 8.1 billion
euros and employed 16,800 at year end. Bayer's three subgroups, Bayer
HealthCare, Bayer CropScience and Bayer MaterialScience, improve peoples lives through a broad
range of essential products that help diagnose, prevent and treat diseases;
protect crops and enhance yields; and advance automobile safety and durability.
Bryan Iams
(412) 777-5200
