NEW YORK: A COLLEAGUE of mine asked his teenage son the other day what he wants to be when he leaves college. The son’s reply: “I don’t think the job I want has been created right now.”
He could be partly right. Some of the present-day occupations might not have existed a decade or two ago.
But what is certain is that parents and even governments must not overlook the importance of preparing the young to acquire what we call necessary “21st-century working skills”, emphasising on science and technology.
Enter STEM, the acronym referring to the academic disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The term is used when addressing education policy and curriculum development in schools and colleges to improve the country’s competitiveness.
STEM is now part and parcel of the education policy in the United States and other countries, such as Turkey, Qatar, Canada and even Malaysia.
The dividends are obvious. The US Department of Commerce says careers in STEM fields are some of the best-paying and have the greatest potential for job growth in the early
21st century.
Data from the US Bureau of Labour Statistics shows that STEM occupations — described as those requiring a degree in Science-, Technology-, Engineering- and Mathematics-related subjects — account for 10 per cent of jobs in the US and pay wages close to double the US average.
Many of the STEM-related job openings in the US now offer some US$50,000 (RM162,500) in minimum salary a year.
Washington DC, home to defence companies, topped the list of STEM job openings this year, followed by the tech hubs of San Jose and San Francisco in California. New York, which ranked No. 2 last year, fell to fourth position this year.
Some of the big American companies that hire many STEM workers include IBM, Oracle, JPMorgan Chase, Amazon and Lockheed Martin. All are familiar names in Malaysia.
Malaysia has made the right move by forming alliances, such as with the respected New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), to help develop our future scientists.
NYAS, set up in 1817, is a membership organisation with more than 22,000 members in 100 countries. They include research scientists at universities and in the industry, as well as representatives of business, government and policy organisations.
Its board of governors and president’s council include 27 Nobel laureates and other prominent leaders of academia and industry, based here and around the world.
Malaysia yesterday joined the Global STEM Alliance, spearheaded by NYAS and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, to further the STEM education agenda around the world.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who addressed the international launch of the alliance at the United Nations headquarters here, said Malaysia was driving STEM education not just to create better-paid workers.
According to him, it is to provide the “fuel” needed to power a science- and technology-driven economy vital for the future of Malaysia.
Malaysia needs to produce more qualified scientists and researchers to make that quantum leap.
As such, the necessary investments and an enabling environment must go hand in hand.