Science, Technology, Engineering and Math will discover answers
to current and future global challenges. Research shows STEM jobs are growing fast
and will soon be 17% of the global economy compared with current 10% measure.
Employers will look for workers with STEM skills and they
will earn higher salaries due to demand.
Knowing what the future demands, what do we offer students
today?
Today’s adolescents are offered classes to prepare for exams.
These turn the power and creativity of science into rote boredom void of
opportunities to apply STEM skills to the wonder of maglev trains, rockets,
spacecraft, autonomous vehicles and their interests.
What if we rethink school-industry systems? Reimagine industry
and local business, this time communicating with teachers and schools as well
as policy-makers, all attuned to real world challenges? What if older students
applied their learning as interns with
a variety of industries? What if cities, industry and schools collaborated to
offer hands-on learning for future citizens?
Kathleen, Patricia, Beenish and myself envision a thriving, just and sustainable world
energized by vibrant School-Industry relationships.
There has been exponential population growth since the
Industrial Revolution
Now 25% of the world's population is under the age of 25
Since the 1969 photos of the Earth – "me and
you" awareness is replacing "me or you”.
This New Story is part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“Currently, if everyone lived as North Americans do, we’d need
four Earths.
For everyone to live as Europeans do, it would take two and one
half Earths.
In other regions, people are living beyond the capacity of one
Earth as well.
China and India are presently living just around the ‘one Earth’
level, but
given the rapid industrialization and economic growth of both
countries, that’s sure to change”.
Nature cannot regenerate at the rate of current resource
consumption and consequent pollution. It’s like we’re living off our credit
card, but it is humanity living off its ecological credit card. Nature can’t
keep up. We are now eroding the natural capital that all of life depends on.
Imagine industry linked with schools both awake to a vision of a
thriving, just an sustainable world for children alive today and future
generations.
"Where
do we begin? What skills are essential?"
The 4C's skills need to be taught explicitly and as early as
possible. As students approach each new level of their academic career, they
use STEM skills to address challenges and make connections to their world.
What we
can dream, we can create.
We created tools to help you, your students and co-workers dream
big!
A
Teacher Manual
Building
Purposeful School-Industry Relationships in STEM
Please follow the link given below and share with us your
experience and feedback.
We hope that in future schools do connect with Industry through various programmes like summer programs, internships, projects, fairs, workshops, boot-camps and much more to promote and develop relevant STEM skills.
