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Joint STEM Initiative

Produced by QCRA(Queen City Robotics Alliance). This podcast is to facilitate communication between businesses, schools, government, professional societies, faith-based institutions, and other community service organizations to promote career readiness and enhance upward economic mobility. We also work closely with the STEM roundtable group in Charlotte to promote awareness of education supporting programs featured by area businesses, schools, government, professional societies, faith-based institutions, and other community service organizations.You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch the podcast with notes and videos.

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Joint STEM Initiative

Helping Next Generation with STEM by SIM

February 12, 2022 • Kaiwen Cheng • Season 2 • Episode 12

In this episode, we talk with Elizabeth and Chris from Society for Information Management (SIM) Charlotte chapter, a professional society of over 5,000 IT leaders. They share with us their passion and enthusiasm for promoting STEM through SIM’s three avenues of outreach: K-12 STEM/STEAM education programs, educational scholarships, and adult training.

The future business community needs an ample supply of talent and SIM is helping individuals acquire the skills they’ll need to succeed. There are lots of different STEM job opportunities besides software developers and coders. All jobs from fast food to technical manufacturing and software development require technology skills.

Elizabeth explains how STEM programs are crucial to the continued growth and advancement of future leaders starting as early as primary school by promoting STEM interest and awareness, especially in girls, and supporting the teaching of critical thinking skills. Chris shares how impacting even just one student’s success contributes to exponential growth in technology, changes our future, our culture and who we will be generations from now.

There is no single path to acquiring a STEM education and SIM is finding ways to generate IT talent by helping disadvantaged groups and non-traditional students gain in-demand technical skills to be successful in an ever changing work environment. From investing in K-12 STEM programs that encourage and support conceptual, creative thinking and intellectual curiosity, to creating a bridge from high school to community college to a four-year STEM degree, to providing adults opportunities for STEM education, SIM is generating IT talent and helping non-traditional students retool and advance their careers.

Join us to learn about the many paths to a STEM education that don’t necessarily require a four-year degree and how you can be successful in a high-demand STEM career.

You can also watch the episode on YouTube here and subscribe YouTube Channel: Joint STEM Initiative.

For more information about Queen City Robotics Alliance, your local FIRST program, click here!

To know more about SIM Charlotte, visit https://chapter.simnet.org/charlotte/home

To know more about Elizabeth, check out her LinkedIn profile

To know more about Chris, check out his LinkedIn profile