According to the National Science Board, only 33% of bachelor’s degrees in the United States are in science or engineering, compared to 51% in Singapore, 53% in China, and 63% in Japan.  To compete in the world’s innovation economy, the United States must have a domestic workforce prepared for employment in these highly sought after STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.

Compete America’s “Education and Workforce Principles” are part of the U.S. business community’s continued commitment to developing America’s own sources of talent for continued world innovation and economic leadership.

Principle #1: Promoting Domestic Skilled Labor Through Diversity

Accounting for less than 5% of the U.S. engineering workforce combined, Hispanic and African American students are an untapped resource for the next generation of engineers.

• Compete America believes that traditional minority-serving institutions should be bolstered through H-1B visa fees paid by U.S. employers to better support these students in STEM fields.

Principle #2: Assisting with Returning Military

Many of our armed forces personnel are trained in highly technical skills that are in demand in the civilian workplace.

• Compete American believes that the current Transition Assistance Program should incorporate a technical skills assessment for our exiting military personnel so that they can more quickly and smoothly put their skills to work in the civilian sector. 

Read more about Compete America’s dedication to the American workforce in “Making a Commitment to U.S. Education and Workforce Development,” by Christine Scullion, Director of Human Resources Policy at the National Association of Manufacturers

To learn more about how America benefits from a highly educated workforce, visit: http://www.competeamerica.org.

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Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of corporations, educators, research institutions and trade associations concerned about legal, employment-based immigration and committed to ensuring that the United States has the highly educated workforce necessary to ensure continued innovation, job creation and leadership in a worldwide economy.