Recruiting Tomorrow’s Workforce
Stillwater schools use a new curriculum to teach manufacturing skills to K-12 students
Students in Derek Olson’s sixth grade class at Afton-Lakeland Elementary cheer as the robot they made hits a ball and takes a victory lap around the pieces of paper that serve as bases. Down the hall, Lois Sortedahl’s fifth graders listen as a local engineer speaks about his job. At Stillwater Area High School, members of the after-school robotics club create a robot they will use to compete against other U.S. high school students in the upcoming regional FIRST Robotics Competition at the University of Minnesota.
All of these projects are part of the district’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program—the Stillwater Area School District’s response to Minnesota manufacturing’s impending shortage of skilled workers. The program caters to students from kindergarten through grade 12. STEM integrates subjects such as math and science into classes and extracurriculars, and then applies them to real-world settings and hands-on projects in hopes of piquing students’ interest.
Olson’s students can’t get enough of the STEM curriculum activities. “It’s been an awesome experience,” he says. “The students are learning so much about things that we need to be teaching in a way that integrates them all together. They are so excited about [the program] that they ask to stay in for recess.”
Justin McPhee, vice president of engineering at plastic mold manufacturer Mold Craft, Inc., hopes volunteering as a school speaker will help Stillwater students make more informed career choices. “As I think back to my career path and how rewarding it has been, I just hope I can influence one student into the manufacturing industry,” he says. “It’s all about giving back for the opportunities you have been given, and if your company benefi ts directly, that’s just a bonus.”
Doris Karls, the district’s director of community education and community relations, says STEM is mutually beneficial for students and local manufacturers. To date, more than 20 companies have opened their doors for tours that open students’—and teachers’—eyes to the opportunities in modern manufacturing. “We really have shared goals,” Karls says. “Manufacturers need skilled workers, and we really want to prepare our students for 21st-century careers.”
Jackie Salisbury, president of Mack Engineering Corporation, agrees. With 15 percent of her company’s work force expected to retire within the next few years, Salisbury hopes its partnership with Stillwater schools will help attract skilled workers in the future.
“Manufacturing is so desperate for young people to get into this industry; that’s our big focus,” Salisbury says. “If we can make it exciting for teachers and [help] them recognize that this career option can be just as lucrative as many others, it will have a positive impact on students.”
The STEM initiative has already inspired manufacturing career aspirations among high school students. Senior Kevin Schwarz, who plans to study chemical engineering and business in college, says robotics club makes engineering exciting and relevant. “It gives us a chance to do something outside of class and get hands-on with working on how things are done in the industry,” he says. “It really becomes a lot more real than just sitting in a classroom.”
-ANDREA LAHOUZE