WASHINGTON, D.C., — Base 11 is joining forces with STEMconnector to double down on efforts to fill the pipeline of qualified talent in the so-called STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and math.
The White House estimates that the U.S. needs to increase the number of students graduating with STEM degrees by 1 million over the next decade. Many also worry about the lack of diversity – particularly of women and minorities – in well-paid STEM jobs. Both are issues the partnership between STEMconnector and Base 11 aim to address.
“Industry has such an urgent need for tangible solutions to increase the pipeline of diverse individuals with the STEM 2.0 skills necessary to prosper in the 21st century,” said Edie Fraser CEO of STEMconnector and Million Women Mentors. “That’s why we’re so excited that our partners, including Base 11, have arrived on the scene. They have the programs, the people and the potential to make a significant impact.”
STEM 2.0, a concept developed by STEMconnector, refers to the set of skills that students need to succeed in current and future STEM jobs. These go beyond academic knowledge to include the ability to innovate with a team, fluency with digital technology, and skills in communication and leadership.
“Base 11’s STEM Accelerator model gives high-potential, low-resource students exposure to a range of resources that build their technical know-how, as well as their employability skills,” said Landon Taylor, CEO of Base 11. “At the end of the day, Base 11 students represent the total package to an employer – someone who’s innovative, has business acumen, knows how to work on a team and can make a difference within their organization.”
Base 11 offers a STEM Accelerator program to community colleges with three tracks:
* Academic-year internships and paid summer fellowships provide community college students with experiences at world-class research institutions such as Caltech, University of California, Irvine, Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, and University of Southern California. The internships and residency-based fellowships offer exposure to high-tech labs, one-on-one mentorship from PhD students, and hands-on, experiential learning with graduate-level research and capstone projects.
* The STEM Entrepreneur program provides community college students with a 16-week curriculum, hands on experiential learning in Fab Labs housed in Base 11 Innovation Centers, and culminates in a national pitch competition for cash prizes. Students gain leadership skills, business acumen and engineering innovation skills that they can apply within their own startup and/or bring with them on day one of their new STEM job at a major employer.
* The workforce development program provides job-specific training and apprenticeships for STEM careers at companies such as Ellie Mae and Visa. The program also includes leadership development, life skills training and mentorships to support the students’ overall success.
“While the end goal of this partnership is to close the STEM talent gap and provide opportunities to those traditionally underrepresented in STEM, our vision is much larger than that,” said Taylor. “We want to work together to build a sustainable middle class, that’s inclusive of all Americans.”
About STEMconnector
STEMconnector is “the one-stop-shop” for STEM information. With several products and services, STEMconnector supports its members design, implement and measure their STEM strategies. Since its launch in 2011, STEMconnector has been the leader in leveraging a network of STEM stakeholders and “making things happen.” STEMconnector ‘s charge is to identify, inform and connect entities working in STEM Education/Careers to assess smart STEM investments and results.
About Base 11
Base 11 is a non-profit public benefit corporation focused on empowering high-potential, low-resource community college students with hands-on education and training in STEM-related enterprises. Base 11 partners with community colleges and their feeder high schools to provide high-potential, low-resource students with real-world training, experience and mentorship in STEM-related enterprises, delivering to employers a pre recruitment pipeline of well-trained, highly skilled STEM employees and entrepreneurs. For more information, please visit www.Base11.com. Base 11 is a DBA of the Center for Innovations in Education, a nonprofit 501(c) 3 – IRS exemption EIN# 26- 4365936.