How can middle school students be inspired to pursue careers in STEM fields? It’s a question that has significant implications for education and workforce development.
EDC is investigating whether industry mentors and school counselors working with middle school students can motivate their engagement in STEM careers. The Middle Grades Career Mentors project is currently engaged in a national pilot study to determine the promise of the intervention on young peoples’ awareness of the rewarding technical careers that are available to them.
Staff working on the Middle Grades Career Mentors project are undertaking the following activities:
- Studying perceptions of STEM-focused Career Technical Education (CTE) from a nationwide sample of 800 middle school-aged youth and 30 mentors from skill-based STEM industries;
- Working with mentors to document the needs of mentors for support as they enter into the mentoring process;
- Testing the development of digital tools to support positive messaging around skill-based education and careers with mentors; and
- Testing the use of the materials with mentors and school counselors to determine the interventions overall promise.
WGBH Education Foundation, Global Strategy Group