While there is ongoing discussion surrounding the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills shortage, what is not widely deliberated is the lack of women in these critical careers. According to the U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), women make up 47 percent of the total U.S. workforce and hold 60 percent of all bachelor’s degrees, yet they hold only about 25 percent of all computer and mathematical occupations. The number drops to 15 percent for architecture and engineering jobs. Randstad conducted a study to uncover key motivations, beliefs and perspectives of STEM-related topics among kids aged 11 to 17. The Randstad STEM Study and Insights Report highlights major trends and barriers among young children in both interest and intended pursuit of STEM professions. Based on these findings, Randstad conducted in-depth interviews with 13 of America’s leading female STEM executives with the goal of understanding and addressing these challenges. Encourage children to #bethecurious. http://randstad.us/2vinaoU

1. randstad
5 ways to
encourage
STEM careers.

2. randstad
the BLS predicts 1M STEM
job openings by 2022.

3. randstad
With many opportunities, how can you motivate today’s K-12 students
to pursue STEM?
3 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
food
for thought.

4. randstad
5 ways to encourage STEM careers.
connect STEM to the real world. 5
introduce prolific STEM role models. 9
showcase STEM’s potential growth & compensation. 13
commend STEM thought process. 18
encourage early STEM participation. 21

5. randstad
connect STEM to the
real world.
#1

6. randstad6 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
connect STEM to the real world.
“When students can relate what they
learn in the classroom to links outside the
classroom, there is a tremendous boost in
motivation for STEM.”
Laura Smith,
VP of Technical Sales of IBM
Source: The 2017 Randstad STEM Study and Insights Report

7. randstad7 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
connect STEM to the real world.
practical uses of
STEM jobs are
difficult for students
between the ages of
11 and 17 to see.
56%
say knowing how STEM subjects relate to the real world would
make STEM classes more interesting
don’t know what kind of math jobs are out there
don’t know what kind of engineering jobs are out there
don’t know a lot about what accountants do
don’t know a lot about what engineers do
49%
47%
69%
76%
Source: The 2017 Randstad STEM Study and Insights Report

8. randstad8 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
connect STEM to the real world.
in what ways can we
make better
connections?
• partnering with businesses to apply hands-on learning alongside
classroom curriculum
• encouraging bring-your-child-to-work days to provide a better
understanding of jobs
• holding discussions on the scope of STEM skills, which are
functional in many roles — from NASA to fashion design

9. randstad
introduce prolific
STEM role models.
9 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
#2

10. randstad10 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
introduce prolific STEM role models.
“I truly believe we need to expose girls to
successful role models in math and science in
order to help counter negative stereotypes.
When girls can see that people like them can
be successful, it is quite powerful.”
Rachel Hudson,
CFO, Global Corn Processing of Archer Daniels Midland Company
Source: The 2017 Randstad STEM Study and Insights Report

11. randstad
say they don’t know someone with a job in STEM
haven’t talked to anyone about jobs in STEM
talk to their teachers about STEM jobs
talk to their parents or family about STEM jobs
talk to their friends about STEM
11 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
introduce prolific STEM role models.
practical uses of
STEM jobs are
difficult for students
between the ages of
11 and 17 to see.
52%
27%
50%
54%
25%
Source: The 2017 Randstad STEM Study and Insights Report

12. randstad12 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
introduce prolific STEM role models.
who are some
notable figures in
these fields?
Mayim Bialik
Neuroscientist and Actress
Elon Musk
CEO of Tesla and SpaceX
Debbie Sterling
Engineer and Toy Inventor
Terence Tao
Mathematician and UCLA
Professor

13. randstad
showcase STEM’s
potential growth.
#3

14. randstad
In the United States, 80 percent of the fastest-growing jobs depend on a
mastery of mathematics, scientific knowledge and skills.
14 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
showcase
Source: https://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/stw/edutopia-stw-mc2STEM-infographic.pdf
STEM growth and
compensation.

15. randstad15 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
the demand
for the best jobs has
never been higher.
STEM continues to boom in technological breakthroughs and innovation.

16. randstad
robotics engineer
big data engineer
IoT architect
virtual reality/augmented reality engineer
16 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
showcase STEM growth and compensation.
potential
compensation
in STEM.
$105,400
$140,900
$144,650
$121,000
Serve as the middleman to communicate what interesting jobs are out there,
what they entail and the strong annual pay tied to positions.
Source: Randstad’s 2017 Salary Guides

17. randstad
broaden the outlook
of what STEM
careers encompass.
Especially outside of the generic titles of a scientist, technology expert,
engineer or mathematician.
17 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017

18. randstad
commend STEM
thought process.
#4

19. randstad19 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
commend STEM thought process.
“When teachers and educators focus too heavily
on the ‘right or wrong’ answer, we do a
disservice to students who demonstrate
effective problem-solving and reasoning skills.”
Trina Salvisberg,
Senior Region Engineer of Enbridge Energy Partners
Source: The 2017 Randstad STEM Study and Insights Report

20. randstad20 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
commend STEM thought process.
how to foster
different thought
processes.
• Focus on the unique path a student took to an
educated guess, not whether it was right or
wrong.
• Applaud a child’s critical thinking or reasoning
skills as a natural skill-set and they will find
navigating an answer more appealing.

21. randstad
encourage early
STEM participation.
#5

22. randstad
high school or earlier
middle school or earlier
22 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
encourage early STEM participation.
when did you
decide to
study STEM?
78%
21%
Nearly 4 in 5 STEM college students say they decided to study STEM in high
school or earlier, and 1 in 5 decided in middle school or earlier.
Source: The 2017 Randstad STEM Study and Insights Report

23. randstad23 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
encourage early STEM participation.
“I believe middle school is the deciding
point. If you don’t get them by high school,
you’ve lost them. As a country, we don’t
focus enough on early education and these
all-important years.”
Susan Brennan,
COO of Bloom Energy
Source: The 2017 Randstad STEM Study and Insights Report

24. randstad24 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
encourage early STEM participation.
as a result, target
teenagers who are
at a crossroads
with their intended
career path.
Students aged 11 to 14 are 18 percent more likely than 15 to 17-
year-olds to consider STEM topics, such as math, as one of their
favorite subjects.
Source: The 2017 Randstad STEM Study and Insights Report

25. randstad
learn
more.
25 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017

26. randstad26 | © Randstad North America, Inc. 2017
learn more.
interested in
learning how to
overcome the
barriers to STEM?
Visit and download the Randstad
STEM Study and Insights Report.
download the full report

27. randstad
thank
you.