WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has a vested interest in increasing student interest and success in STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math - and showing students that they can have a future in those fields; and
WHEREAS, Increased success in STEM subjects allows students to eventually become part of the STEM workforce in the Philadelphia area; and
WHEREAS, Only 26% of Pennsylvania high school students are currently interested in STEM; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania will have 314,000 STEM jobs needed to be filled by 2018; and
WHEREAS, 60 percent of US employers are having difficulties finding qualified workers to fill vacancies at STEM companies; and
WHEREAS, At all levels of educational attainment, STEM job holders earn 11 percent higher wages compared with their same-degree counterparts in other jobs; and
WHEREAS, In 2010, the unemployment rate for STEM workers was 5.3 percent; for all other occupations, it was 10 percent; and
WHEREAS, The United States is ranked 25th in Math and 17th in Science among industrialized nations, leading to growing concerns that Americans will be disadvantaged in the new global economy; and
WHEREAS, The Obama Administration has invested $265 million into STEM education, with the goal of graduating one million students into STEM fields over the next decade, along with developing, recruiting, and retaining 100,000 teachers; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby authorize the Committee on Education to hold hearings on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) educational opportunities for young men and women in the City of Philadelphia and the efforts the City can undertake to increase the opportunities available.
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