Promoting STEM Education

Floor Speech

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, during the President's State of the Union address in this Chamber just last week, he spoke of the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, also known as STEM education. STEM education helps support U.S. manufacturing jobs, and it is something that I am a strong proponent of.

The 10th District of Illinois, the district that I represent, is one of the largest manufacturing districts in our Nation. As I travel back home, I hear time and time again from manufacturers that they can't find qualified people able to step up and take the jobs that they have open right now at their manufacturing facilities.

One way we can help put people back to work is by promoting STEM education. Those trained in the STEM field have the opportunity to gain good-paying jobs right here in our local communities. From high schools training our future workers to community colleges helping to train and retrain unemployed individuals, STEM education helps put people back to work and allows U.S. manufacturers to hire American workers.

One example of a successful STEM education program back home is at Wheeling High School. Wheeling High School's Principal, Dr. Laz Lopez, took the initiative to start a STEM education program in order to empower his students to graduate and have a competitive edge against other students seeking employment. Just yesterday, Wheeling High School announced that they are now looking to expand that education to include a curriculum that has nanotechnology. This type of curriculum will give Wheeling High School students a greater competitive advantage when applying for jobs and pursuing degrees in science and technology.

Preparing our students for the 21st century workforce, I would argue, is absolutely critical. But it is also essential that we empower the unemployed to be retrained to pursue careers in the STEM field right back at home and across our country.

Back home, I'm working with the College of Lake County, which is working hard to provide STEM education to adults who are interested in preparing themselves for new careers. The College of Lake County will be hosting a STEM education day on Saturday, February 25. This is to motivate our young people about the importance of STEM education, and to especially focus on young women to learn more about careers in the fields of science and technology.

I am impressed with the work that the College of Lake County and other community colleges are doing to bridge the gap between industry and education. By teaming up with local employers, the College of Lake County is putting in place programs that can train the workforce and also help local manufacturers in need.

In the weeks to come, I'll be hosting a manufacturing and education summit at ETA/Cuisenaire in Vernon Hills. The goal of this summit is to find ways in which local industry can invest in local education so that our region has the resources and trained workforce it needs to expand and to invest in the manufacturing sector of our economy.

I will continue to work with Republicans, with Democrats on promoting this critical initiative of STEM education. This will not only help put people back to work, but will enable manufacturers to hire workers right here at home so that they can continue to grow and expand in our local communities.

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