In the age of rapidly advancing technology, demand for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) professionals is at an all-time high. In fact, nearly half a million job listings for technology positions were open this June, highlighting a significant appetite for STEM talent across the U.S. job market.
As the nation faces increasing pressure to further fuel the number of STEM skilled professionals in the workforce, we face a glaring reality that needs to be urgently addressed: there’s a growing gap between the demand for STEM professionals and the state of STEM education in the U.S.
With the mounting need for STEM professionals not slowing down anytime soon, it’s imperative that steps are being taken to actively help close this gap and this starts within the classroom.
K-12 Education is Key, but the U.S. Needs to Step Up
Early STEM education, particularly during the developmental K-12 years, helps to encourage an interest in pursuing a career path within the field. To meet the nation’s current demand for STEM professionals, placing an emphasis on education for K-12 students is crucial.
A Toshiba survey* uncovered that while the majority (74%) of U.S. consumers are aware of STEM offerings at K-12 schools within their community, just a mere 30% have participated in STEM education offerings.
The findings highlight a disconnect between awareness and interest among consumers when it comes to STEM offerings, for consumers awareness of local offerings doesn’t equate to participation. This means that driving the future of STEM requires much more than program availability within local communities. It also requires programs that are capable of instilling curiosity among students to help convert this awareness into participation.
Alongside the participation gap, the survey also found 36% of consumers aren’t confident that today’s students will be prepared to compete in a global STEM workforce and 28% believe that current K-12 STEM education programs in the U.S. won’t prepare students for college courses and degrees in STEM. Alarmingly, consumers also believe the nation is falling behind with 31% saying that U.S. STEM educational programs in K-12 classrooms are at a disadvantage over other countries.
With consumers lacking confidence in U.S. K-12 schools’ current STEM programs and how well they equip students for the future workforce, where can these offerings be improved to help drive participation and inspire belief in the nation as a global workforce leader in the field?
Our survey found that when it comes to STEM education, consumers believe the three biggest challenges are: funding (37%), lack of qualified teachers (25%) and student interest (16%).
To improve STEM education in the U.S., consumers believe the top two priorities should be: better teacher training (41%) and increased funding (33%).
While consumers view funding and teacher training as the most crucial areas, the future of STEM education available within K-12 schools is currently at a critical crossroads as schools continue to undergo budget cuts and decreased funding directly impacting STEM programs.
As these changes continue to impact classrooms across the nation, we must remain vigilant to avoid widening the already existing STEM gap. Luckily, there are well equipped programs and opportunities that offer teachers the training and curriculum necessary to equip K-12 students with the skills necessary to excel in post-secondary education and in helping to shape the future STEM professionals we need.
Join Toshiba in Helping to Build STEM’s Future Leaders
At Toshiba, helping to empower the STEM leaders of tomorrow is a top priority for us. Through our close partnership with the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), we’ve been inspiring the next generation of STEM professionals with our annual Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision science competition for over three decades.
ExploraVision, the world’s largest K-12 science competition, challenges students to work in teams with their peers and identify real challenges impacting the world around them. The student teams collaborate to research and develop innovative solutions that could be used to solve the problem they’ve selected in the next decade or more. National winning projects of the ExploraVision competition have included medical technology advancements like glasses that translate sign language and a device that aimed to properly screen for skin cancer, environmental technology innovations including drones designed to fight wildfires, and energy technology innovations like the use of fungi as a potential energy source.
Interested in learning more about the ExploraVision program or participating in this year’s 34th annual competition? See how you can help shape the future of STEM across the U.S. and Canada here: https://www.exploravision.org/
* Survey Methodology: The April 2025 survey, conducted by Dynata on behalf of Toshiba, is based on 1,000 U.S. consumers 18+ in age and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.