Enhancing the Diversity of the Science and Engineering Workforce to Sustain America's Leadership in the 21st Century. Executive Summary of the CEOSE Report to Congress.

摘要

In this new century, U.S. jobs are growing fastest in areas that require knowledge and skills stemming from a strong grasp of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET). The number of workers capable of adequately filling these jobs is not keeping pace. A critical shortage of workers in these fields threatens U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace. The good news is that an enormous, underutilized human resource exists to fill the gap. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are significantly underrepresented in SMET occupations, even though they are among the fastest growing segments of the American workforce. Institutional change and partnerships are required to address this under-representation. If business, academia, and government come together to mine this resource and develop its inherent talents, the shortage could be eliminated before it undermines America's leadership role in building the 21st Century workforce. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is working hard to address these challenges. The Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering (CEOSE) was established by Congress in 1980 to encourage the participation of underrepresented groups in SMET fields. Committee membership consists of eminent scientists and engineers from academia and private industry. This executive summary of the biennial CEOSE report recommends a variety of approaches. Many are based upon increasing opportunities for women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to help eliminate the shortage of scientific and technical workers.