Identifying & Growing STEM Talent Here in the USA
By Nancy Parsons
The H1-B Visa political controversy has sparked important discussions on the availability of technical talent here in the United States. No matter how this debate is resolved, it is clear that we need to identify and develop more STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) talent here rather than ignoring the raw potential of so many millions of U.S. citizens.
What most fail to grasp is that many people have no idea that they have the inherent capability to succeed in STEM fields. That is where we come in at CDR Assessment Group. Based on our research and assessment results, we identify hidden STEM talent. The truth is that only 10 to 15% of people are actually self-aware according to A HBR study of 5,000 people by Tasha Eurich.[i] Also, if children do not have parents or teachers who steer them into STEM training or classes, how would they know they have these gifts? We know because we measure this inherent capability.
For some history on this from our website publications:
“It is clear that the lack of STEM talent is becoming a critical problem. In fact, according to a 2020 DOD report, ‘The United States lags in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education leading to a severe shortage of technical talent in the U.S. workplace.’ This severe shortage impacts all industries and according to a Deloitte survey, 82% of according to a Deloitte survey in Semiconductor Engineering, 82% of executives cite there is a shortage of qualified STEM candidates, particularly in technical and engineering fields.
With the escalating talent shortage, finding those with competencies and high potential for STEM talent is paramount. Interestingly, many individuals in the workplace and in college have the capability to work in STEM careers, but just don’t know it. Raw talent for STEM careers frequently goes underdeveloped, especially for female and minority candidates.
CDR-U Coach[ii] now offers individual analysis and feedback on whether a candidate has the personality characteristics and motivational drivers to be a successful STEM professional or leader. This digital assessment and coaching platform segment called STEM Fit Review, which is part of the Career Action Planning Module (CAP), delineates those who have STEM capabilities. It even takes it further by identifying STEM candidates who also have leadership, project management strengths or math-only STEM capabilities.
Millions of people are not clear about their true and best capabilities. They are often in job roles that do not tap into their best strengths and passions. They frequently fail to embark on educational programs that develop their true potential. Keep in mind, particularly with minorities and females, their socio-economic backgrounds may not have had provided the tools or support to identify their true talent and capabilities. Many end up in jobs that keep them at the lower end of wage earners when they could soar to greater levels of economic and life success.
CDR-U Coach, along with the CAP and STEM Fit Review module, are ideal tools for organizations who want to upskill and reskill employees. It is ideal for universities that are dedicated to developing students to maximize their long-term success and fulfillment. Also, it can be utilized for transitioning veterans seeking to find their best career and educational path. With this innovative solution as part of CDR-U Coach, organizations (and individuals) can identify candidates who can succeed in STEM career paths, as well as other important career paths as reviewed by CAP.
The STEM Fit Review is based is on research and analysis of scientifically validated, CDR 3-D Suite Assessment results of individuals who are successful STEM professionals and leaders.”
While the debate on H1-B visas continues, it is important that we get to work and do a better job at identifying and developing talent within organizations to upskill into STEM fields here in the USA. It is also critical that we identify STEM talent in students who are in high school or college. This is also ideal for veterans’ career transition programs. If you want to find out how the STEM Fit Review can work for your organization, please contact us at [email protected] or call 832-886-4308 to schedule a discussion and demo.
[i] https://hbr.org/2018/10/working-with-people-who-arent-self-aware
[ii][ii][ii] CDR-U Coach is the 2021 Stevie Award and 2022 Houston Business Journal Innovation Award winning AI-type avatar coaching platform that debriefs the unmatched CDR 3-D Suite, a trio of scientifically validated assessments. CDR-U Coach individually debriefs the results of the unmatched CDR 3-D Suite, a three-pronged, scientifically validated assessment instrument to reach below the surface to uncover each individual’s personality and motivation fingerprint, decoding their life-long career path. The assessment reveals a deep understanding of character (C), drivers (D) and inherent risks (R) for each user, which are broken down into scales and subscales in each module. CDR-U Coach’s personalized debriefs are driven by complex algorithms and leveraging rich data with predictive results, CDR-U Coach provides a robust coaching experience for users with no two individuals receiving the same feedback – it is that personalized. CDR-U Coach also offers two action planning modules to take the feedback to actionable developmental steps. CDR-U Coach is completely virtual, available 24/7 and users can go back and review or update action plans at any time.