Across the next ten to twenty years, the U.S. may face a critical shortage of engineers, scientists and other technically trained workers as the baby boomer generation settles in on retiring and reinventing their futures. There are an estimated 77 million baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) in the U.S. The first large wave of them began to retire in 2006 and, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has estimated that as many as “10 million jobs will go unfilled in 2010” as this first wave of the boomer generation retires. With much of the know-how, technical expertise and historic understanding of how large systems work embedded in the minds of millions of engineers, scientists and other technical experts of the boomer generation, there is great potential to have a critical gap in knowledge for 10-to-20 years.
Think about it, the knowledge, know-how and intellect of energy distribution systems; oil refineries, pipeline transport and storage; transportation, water, research and innovation infrastructure has largely been built, managed and defined by millions of baby boomers. To their credit, it is an amazing accomplishment that the U.S. has had such a promising and talented workforce. To our potential detriment, without new blood in technical and science disciplines, the U.S. stands to lose its global prominence it has held from a competitive, innovation, and quality of life standpoint.
Seeking to address this gap in knowledge and expertise, The Harris Foundation and ExxonMobil have teamed up to create the ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp (BHSSC). The BHSSC is a two-week camp, free to qualified students, that offers innovative programs to “enahce middle school students’ knowledge in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) while encouraging youth to stay in school and fostering leadership and citizenship”. The BHSSC summer program will, through the help of ExxonMobil reach more than 1,000 students as it is implemented at 19 universities with a total of 20 camps. During the two-week program students will attend classes in STEM curriculum taught by faculty of participating universities and secondary classroom teachers. The program will also feature hands on individual, group and teaming projects, field excursions and guest speakers – each focused on creating a well rounded experience that encourages students to meet their full potential in STEM disciplines.
The Harris Foundation is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1998 by Bernard Harris a M.D. and past NASA astronaut, physician and businessman. The Harris Foundation “supports programs that empower individuals, in particular minorities and economically and/or socially disadvantaged, to recognize their potential and pursue their dreams”. To date more than 2,500 K-12 students have participated in The Harris Foundation programs. The partnership with ExxonMobil will help Bernard Harris and his social foundation achieve much greater reach, in pursuit of a better future. As the philanthropic arm of ExxonMobil, the ExxonMobil Foundation has provided funding to K-12 and higher education levels in support of improving math and science education. In 2006 the ExxonMobil foundation provided $139 million in worldwide contributions of which $54 million was dedicated to education. By helping non-profits like the Harris Foundation, ExxonMobil is demonstrating the power of its corporate citizenship program and philosophy to address social needs, particularly in education.
A podcast through the Grassroots Learning Project at Oregon State University (OSU) (one of the 19 participating universities) offers an audio dialog Chester Bateman, Assistant to the Dean for Technology, College of Education from OSU and Dr. Bernard Harris as they discuss The Harris Foundation and the ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp program.
World Inc. is not just about how companies are innovating superior products based on Socially Responsible Product Development, it’s also about how leading socially responsible firms develop new leaders while addressing social concerns plaguing our near future. Dr. Bruce Piasecki, author of World Inc. notes, “It is my view that with the right kinds of social leaders, large multinational corporations can play the key role in solving the long list of challenges facing society in the 21st century.”
In a world where every little bit of initiative and leadership counts, we commend ExxonMobil and The Harris Foundation as well as the 19 participating universities for their “World Inc.” type of leadership, for their willingness to collaborate and discover new and unique models to achieve goals, and specifically for working to address social needs while working to enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in the U.S.
Mark C. Coleman
Senior Associate & World Inc. Case Leader, AHC Group, Inc.
Mark@ahcgroup.com
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