Educate Texas launches the STEM Degree Accelerator
TEXAS IS PROJECTED to have approximately 9% of the nation’s future STEM career opportunities, the second highest in the country. To address the need for graduating enough prepared students to fill those jobs, Educate Texas recently launched the Texas Regional STEM Degree Accelerator (TRSDA). The goal of this initiative is to impact up to 100,000 underrepresented students in Texas, helping them earn STEM degrees that meet identified workforce needs across the state.
Through TRSDA, Educate Texas is providing planning grants to eight regional teams that include a two-year college, a four-year college, a K-12 partner and workforce partners. Regional teams will receive technical assistance and support from RAND Corporation, Jobs for the Future and Burning Glass Technologies. Grant recipients who will lead regional teams include: Alamo Colleges, Austin Community College District, Dallas County Community College District, Lee College, South Texas College, Texarkana College, University of Texas, El Paso and Western Texas College. During the planning period, each team will analyze labor market data, develop strategic plans to increase student performance in STEM Academic pathways, and increase the number of economically disadvantaged students in each region who graduate with STEM credentials. This spring, planning grantees will have an opportunity to compete for funding to implement their strategic plans in September 2015.
“Texas is a critical state for STEM job growth in the coming decade,” said Ryan Kelsey, Program Officer of the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s Education Program. “Along with our funding partners, the Trust is excited to see local collaborators working hard to better align STEM undergraduate programs with regional industry needs.”
To learn more about Educate Texas and the Texas STEM Degree Accelerator, click here.