StuffMadeinMA.com • 2 0 1 9 • S T U F F 13
Starting in
grade school
Organizations like Girls Inc. seek to get younger students interested in STEM
B Y S A R A H C O N N E L L S A N D E R S
"Girls are conditioned to
lose interest in science and
math around (middle school), even
though their grades are just as strong
as their male peers."
- Victoria Waterman, Girls Inc.
I
n July of 2018, the Pledge to America's
Workers promised training-and-education
opportunities for more than 1.2 million
American students and workers over the
next five years. More than 300 companies
and organizations have committed to con-
tributing over 12.7 million training hours and
education opportunities by 2024.
The pledge came in response to what National
Association of Manufacturers President and CEO
Jay Timmons estimates as more than 500,000 cur-
rently unfilled manufacturing jobs in addition to
2.4 million jobs predicted to go unfilled by 2028.
In response to the pledge, Walmart alone has
promised 1 million opportunities for its workers.
This comes as no surprise. In the spring of 2018,
Walmart made national headlines when the retail-
er announced it would fund degrees in business
and supply chain-management for its employees.
Programs such as this increase longevity of
employment and improve workforce quality. The
Pledge for America's Workers begins even earlier
by targeting manufacturing inclined students
before they enter the workforce.
Unfortunately, manufacturing is often misun-
derstood by Gen-Z – Americans born after 1996.
According to the Pew Research Institute, the old-
est members of Gen-Z are less likely than
Millenials to be in the labor force.
Whole girl philosophy
Worcester Technical High School is doing its
part to ensure that a new generation of manufac-
turing professionals will be at the ready when the
workforce turns over. Karen Pelletier of the
Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce
praised the Worcester Public Schools for relaunch-
ing Night Life Continuing Education this year
along with the Innovation Pathways Program for
students at the comprehensive schools.
Continued on page 14
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