Equity-Forward Workforce Development Pipeline for Naval STEM Superiority, White Paper Tracking Number 20-000000682
Abstract
The U.S. faces urgent pressures to grow and fully prepare the next generation of STEM workers to remain globally competitive both ec onomically and militarily. Building from an existing high-impact pilot focused on evidence-based practices, the University of Missou riKansas City (UMKC) proposes a novel workforce pipeline that will provide an equitable and competency-based recruitment/training p ath for cultivating a diverse, agile, and world-class STEM workforce. The pipeline targets sophomore STEM students and benefits them early in their college education with (1) the latest information about Naval STEM opportunities and careers, (2) data analytics and ervices, and (4) paid research internships with UMKC faculty executing on projects spanning all five broad Naval R&D priority areas. Armed with these resources, skills, and experiences, program participants will apply to Naval STEM national lab and industry intern ships during their fall junior year. We will meet these objectives by designing and delivering four new Research Skills Training (RS T) courses annually that are customized to Naval-related research across campus, by mentoring research interns in the real-world app lication of their newly-acquired skills, and by coordinating campus-wide promotion of Naval STEM programs and careers at each progra m step. Significance: Research experience with a faculty member is a high-impact practice known to bolster 21st century workforce s kill development, STEM career aspirations, and STEM degree completion rates. At UMKC, 30-40% of incoming students routinely express plans to participate in research, yet, most never do. The proposed pipeline delivers a proven approach for engaging this untapped p ool of STEM talent with impactful educational experiences early in college.Pipeline Steps: The proposed pipeline starts with studen t-driven recruitment in all freshmen General Education science courses to encourage students to enroll in an RST course. While this project targets sophomores, RST courses will be open to all interested students and will not require prerequisites. RST enrollees w ill receive 15 weeks of broadly transferable STEM workforce training and customized introduction to a unique Navy STEM priority. RST completers summer, and supported to apply for research internships off-campus with Naval labs and industries.Outcomes: Implementation of this innovative program will increase the number of STEM students from diverse backgrounds who gain competitive skills and real-world ex perience in Naval priority areas, who graduate with STEM degrees, and who join the STEM workforce. The program will expose over 3,00 0 freshmen to Naval STEM priorities and opportunities. To meet our equity focused programmatic goals, the program will provide 75 RS T tuition scholarships forunderrepresented students during the 3-year period of performance; these students will have first conside ration for selection of 54 total campus paid research internships (44-75% underrepresented student participation). We anticipate ann ual RST enrollments increasing from 44 to 114, with 34-43% underrepresented minority student participation leading to substantial gr aduation improvements, and 99-203 total UMKC applications to Naval and industry internships. The broader impact of the RST course fr aculty and the Department Equity Forward Workforce Development Pipeline for Naval STEM Superiority 2of Navy expand their workforc e development capacity. The project outcome will be an equityminded educational pathway for sustainably increasing the number of app lications to Naval lab/industry internships and careers. (Approved for public release.)
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 20, 2021
- Source ID
- N000142112710
Entities
People
- Daniel Mcintosh
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Missouri System