American Workers in STEM Occupations

In the modern labor force, the need for skills such as dexterity, physical endurance, and precision are declining while skills such as critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving are continuing to grow. How has higher education responded to the changing labor force in order to properly prepare the next generation of workers? The labor force is changing, but is higher education keeping up with these changes? The problem inherently lies in the lack of quality American students pursuing undergraduate programs in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. In this paper, I will review higher education policies, changes, and practices that are being put into place to help with the educated needs of the labor force. The vast majority of students in STEM programs are from other countries, and I will research possible government and policy solutions to incentivize Americans to pursue STEM jobs. I will look at K-12 education, technical colleges, university education, as well as masters and doctorate levels of education. I plan to review the necessity for Americans to pursue STEM degrees and the potential consequences if Americans continue to obtain STEM degrees at the current rate