Education & Workforce
The science behind a strong Science and Technology workforce.
To build a strong Science and Technology workforce Georgia needs the right infrastructure. And Georgians need to be literate.
Georgia has a negative three percent unemployment rate in the tech sector. To fill these jobs, and the countless other science and technology jobs that will emerge in the coming years, Georgians need the matching skills.
STEM has an outsized impact on the state of GA. A recent economic impact report found that STEM supports 61 percent of jobs, 71 percent of economic output, and 66 percent of the state’s GDP. On par with national statistics, and contrary to a lot of conventional wisdom, six out of ten STEM professionals in Georgia do not hold a bachelor’s degree.
To ensure that Georgia’s citizens can keep up with the science and technology workforce demands, it is critical to build an educated, technical, STEM-ready, skilled workforce and maintain a pipeline of students learning employment-ready skills. We need to think about the actual people in the pipeline, from their home environment, to their health, to the infrastructure that supports them, to the parents and caregivers that can create a positive or negative cycle of learning.
From left to right, Rep Becky Evans, Amy Sharma (Science for Georgia), Karolina Klinker (Reach Out and Read), Louis Kiphen (Science for Georgia), Randy Gorod (Sci4Ga - holding a photo of Paige Greenwood), and Rep Matt Dubnik.
With infrastructure, workforce, and education legislation being proposed at a national and state level, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape education and workforce policies and programs that are grounded in science and evidence-based best practices. These changes can provide immediate impact and drive lasting change.
From left to right, Rep Gregg Kennard, Amy Sharma (Science for 4Georgia), Karolina Klinker (Reach Out and Read), Louis Kiphen (Science for 4Georgia), and Randy Gorod (Science for 4Georgia - holding a photo of Paige Greenwood).
Check out our speaker series
Over the summer of 2021, Science for Georgia, Science is US, Technology Association of Georgia, Urban League of Greater Atlanta, Partners in Change, and Literacy for All put together a series of panel discussions to understand how to achieve an optimized pipeline with all systems working together. The panel looked at the status of the pipeline now, evidence-based best-practices for success, and the levers to pull to make impactful systemic changes. This was synthesized at a roundtable. Recommended Actions reflect the knowledge from the panels and roundtable.
Things you can do right now
Learn about the importance of early childhood education
Reading proficiently at 3rd grade is the best indicator of high school graduation. To do this kids need to enter Kindergarten ready to learn. Find out the science of why and how.
Resources to enable a strong start.
Several partners have provided a set of e-books, e-learning, and tips & tricks for kindergarten readiness.
Recommend Actions to Advocate For
Best Practices that can build a birth to retirement literacy pipeline with coordinated efforts and metrics
Create a Evidence-Based Reading Education Ecosystem
There is a science to learning to read. But hardly any education systems use it. Learn about the science and then advocate for it's use.
School Nurse & Counselor Ratios
To put kids on the path to success they need both physical and mental support. Fully fund the proper ratio of school nurses and school counselors.
All Credits are Created Equal
Save students time and money. Make pathways to success clear. Ensure that credits from high school to technical & community college to state university are equal.
Support Adult Literacy Programs
Low-literacy adults cannot upskill or reskill as the workforce changes. Their children are more likely to need reading help. Provide incentives and programs to aid adults in increasing their literacy skills.
Affordable Early Childhood Education
20% of Georgia children live in poverty. Georgia has capacity for only 15% of those children in Head Start
Early Childhood Daycare and Pre-K Programs are a win, win - nurturing children's development and enabling parents to work a steady job. These help break the cycle of poverty. In Georgia, low-income children that enrolled in preschool had a higher academic achievement and proficiency on 3rd grade test scores.