Patrick Franklin
President & Chief Executive Officer, Urban League of Palm Beach

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The data is clear—and irrefutable. Underrepresented minorities currently make up 30% of our nation’s population (a number projected to reach more than 40% by 2050), but in the STEM field, they are poorly represented with only 12.5% earning STEM degrees in 2011. The demand for qualified STEM professionals is high, but the supply is low. Therefore, it is critical that more people from marginalized communities pursue careers in these fields, but that is easier said than done.

Underrepresented minorities traditionally complete high school at lower rates than their peers and tend to score lower on standardized tests, creating real barriers to college admission.  For those who gain college admission and major in undergraduate STEM studies, retention-to-graduation rates are comparatively low as well.  As a result, STEM employers are faced with a growing shortage of skilled STEM candidates and the STEM workforce does not reflect the diversity of America.

The Urban League of Palm Beach County has an active Project Ready STEM program, that prepares middle through high school students for college, work and life with an emphasis on STEM learning and career readiness. Funding was secured to ensure that our kids, who attend underperforming schools in high poverty communities, receive the best education. The target population for Project Ready STEM is low income, minority, urban or rural youth enrolled in Title I schools in West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and the Glades. Our program is currently working with 50 rising freshmen through their junior year in high school.

Project Ready STEM is designed to train a qualified workforce of color to meet the growing needs of the STEM sector labor market. This is especially important for Palm Beach County as the tech corridor continues to grow in Boca Raton and biotech companies at the north end of our county continue to flourish. In order to prepare a diverse population of future workers, we aim to ignite an interest in STEM careers through experiential-learning and career exploration.  Project Ready STEM helps us achieve this goal, and goes a step further by preparing participants for success in post-secondary education. By providing ongoing discussions and workshops, more students can develop at grade level with the skills they need to be successful and graduate, and pursue a STEM education in college.

We will continue to build the next generation of young scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians of color who can change the world and change the numbers of underrepresented minorities thriving in STEM.