The Issues of STEM: Preparing Competent Workers

STEM jobs are essential to meeting the needs of society; however, there is a shortage of qualified STEM students. This is a result of students being unprepared, misinformed, and unaware of what a career in STEM entails. The purpose of this essay is to inform readers why content knowledge is inadequate for students who are endeavoring to pursue a STEM-related career (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math). First, we want to address the existing issues that hinder students from striving in STEM- related fields. Some of the biggest inhibitors to students are personal non-academic barriers, lack of academic readiness, and scarcity in role models/confidence. This is evident by the research we collected through hosting STEM student questionnaires and reading various literary works. Although our findings confirmed our hypothesis, there are feasible solutions that are and will be put in place to

resolve the problem. (Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Junalyn Navarra- Madsen)