Guest opinion: Bridging the STEM gap — Weber State’s moral imperative
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- Brooke Lindgren
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- James Taylor
In Northern Utah, if you talk to any employer focusing on science, technology or engineering, they’ll tell you the biggest issue they’re facing is access to a skilled workforce. Weber State University was recently in a room with representatives from five other western universities and a ranking official from Hill Air Force Base. The ranking official stated that Hill AFB could hire every single engineering and science graduate from all the universities in the state and they still wouldn’t be close to meeting Hill’s workforce needs.
There’s an insatiable demand for an engineering and science workforce in Northern Utah. With that, questions arise. First, and seemingly most obvious, is how do we increase this workforce? Employers can recruit out-of-state talent, but that doesn’t help or support local communities and populations. This leads to the second question: How do we increase the workforce while improving the lives of local communities and populations in Northern Utah? To answer these questions, we believe the work starts with finding and building relationships with populations that have not always had access to or strong participation in STEM.
Data shows that Black, Hispanic and Latino workers are underrepresented in the STEM workforce and are less likely to earn degrees in STEM than other fields of study. This gap in representation is especially large for Hispanic and Latino adults, totaling a mere 8% of all STEM workers. As we narrow in on the state of Utah, that dwindles to 6.4%. According to 2020 census data, over half of Utah’s population growth between 2010 and 2020 was driven by minority populations, raising Utah’s diversity index to 40.7%, with 30% of Utahns under 18 identifying as a racial or ethnic minority. The city of Ogden alone has 30.3% of residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino.
Though the racial diversity of Utah has grown tremendously over the last decade and continues to grow, we’re not seeing this same diversity in Utah’s higher education institutions or the workforce. Data suggests that the long-term outlook for diversity in the STEM workforce is closely tied to representation in STEM education and activities throughout an individual’s academic career. This urges us to think about how we can promote the value of STEM education through better access and opportunities, especially for underrepresented populations.
Kicking off 2023, Weber State submitted a grant proposal that, if awarded, will help do just that. The program includes a supportive pathway for students to engage in STEM education and activities throughout junior high, high school and higher education. At the heart of the proposal are STEM-Focused Academic Navigators who will be available to students and their parents throughout students’ academic careers. This approach stems from information gathered from Ogden-based parents who participated in focus groups and indicated a great desire for an advocate or mentor who could not only explain what STEM opportunities and activities exist, but also how to get their children involved.
Overall, the Hispanic and Latino parents who participated in the focus groups described the need to have a guide, advocate or navigator — a trusted, bilingual individual who doesn’t just share information about resources, but has the training, knowledge, expertise and community connections to teach them how to search for opportunities, how to evaluate them, and how to motivate and encourage their children to participate. We’re hopeful that this proposal will receive funding, and we’re eager to help bridge the gap between underrepresented populations and STEM education. This work has the potential to greatly benefit the community, education providers, STEM employers and Utah’s workforce.
The current reality of the STEM workforce in Utah is that employers are recruiting out-of-state talent to fill their workforce demands. This has all sorts of ramifications, from gentrification to leaving local populations outside of the positive economic impact that STEM ecosystems have on a community. So now, as a university and community, we’re at a pivotal point in engaging underrepresented populations in STEM. It’s more than just an economic issue — it’s our moral imperative. The ways in which we answer this call to action may very well define the heart and soul of Northern Utah for generations to come.
Brooke Lindgren is the assistant director of the Office of Sponsored Projects at Weber State University, where she helps faculty and staff prepare and submit grant proposals for external funding. James Taylor is the executive director of innovation, commercialization, sponsored projects and research at WSU.