Design Details and Plans

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STEMentor belongs to the community. Several members have inquired about the long term plan for STEMentor. In the interest of keeping you informed here is the long term plan for STEMentor. 

Introduction/Environmental Scan

For more than two decades, the United States has been trying to close the educational gap that exists between white students and students of color. Often, people prefer to call this disparity the opportunity gap. While many students of color lack the educational opportunities that many white students enjoy, the issue has other facets that go beyond leveling the playing field around educational opportunities. There is a disparity in terms of social capital (i.e. networks) that adversely affects low income students, who are largely students of color, in understanding and accessing many professional careers, especially in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). This lack of social capital directly impacts the ability of people of color to gain employment in good paying jobs and work their way up economically. Furthermore, women, people of color, and people from low-income backgrounds are underrepresented in the STEM professions. In many cases, this is due to a lack of role models in STEM careers. In other cases, it is due to a lack of access. STEMentor is a program designed to address these critical gaps by creating an online community centered around a “human reference library” of STEM professionals willing to support those interested in STEM careers with information and advice.

New STEM careers emerge almost daily and it is challenging even for well-informed, affluent students to understand all the career opportunities that exist. In addition, there is limited college and career coaching occurring in most public schools due to the excessive caseload assigned to a limited number of counselors. 

Students in remote locations have previously had little to no access to professionals representing a wide variety of careers. The STEMentor program is designed to address these issues by creating an online community focused on informal connections with a multitude of STEM professionals and STEM students in order to encourage and support more women, people of color, and people from low income backgrounds to consider and possibly pursue careers in STEM. Technology provides a low cost, simple means of connecting people around the world.

Target Population

The STEMentor program will be open to anyone who creates an account and profile in the STEMentor platform. However, a primary goal is to encourage women, people of color, and people from low income backgrounds to consider careers in STEM. In addition, increasing the social capital of people from low income backgrounds is a critical objective.

The program is intended to have value to students, parents, teachers, and STEM professionals. In the long term, assuming success, the program will benefit employers by providing a better informed and prepared workforce. 

Initially the program will focus on Minnesota. Due to safety concerns, the program will first be introduced to college age students, then high school students, and then hopefully in time, to middle school students once the proper safety measures are in place. 

Needs

Students need informal advice and information about careers, especially in STEM. Teachers need real life resources that can connect theory and the abstract to the work place. Career coaches and counselors need information about careers, especially in STEM. People in remote locations need access to a broader amount of information and advice. Women, people of color, and people from low income backgrounds need more role models and connections to social capital. STEM professionals need professional contacts that will support them in the growth of their careers.

Stakeholders

The stakeholders for this program fall into six categories:

1. Schools, colleges, and universities – which entails students, career centers, parents, and instructors
2. Workforce development programs – which entails clients of this program, employers, Chambers of Commerce, and employees
3. Trade and professional associations – which include members and administrators
4. Non-profits and foundations – including administrators and board members
5. Other STEM enterprises – including potential partners and acquirers
6. Vendors – current software designer

A person can fill multiple roles in relation to this program, e.g. client, student, STEM professional etc.

Measurable Objectives and Outcomes

This program differs from other career development programs in that it is designed to be long-term and sustainable by serving clients throughout their schooling and career. A client might enter as a high school student, a college student, a young professional, or an established professional. With regard to young women, students of color, or students from low income backgrounds entering the program, success will be measured based on a participant’s ability to complete the following tasks:

1. Decide whether a STEM career is of interest, and if so
2. Identify at least three STEM careers that are of interest
3. List the educational requirements and skills associated with those careers
4. Describe the job outlook and salaries associated with those careers
5. Build social capital by engaging in the Community
6. Identify at least three employers for each of their target careers of interest

Evaluation

First level feedback as to effectiveness and perceived value will be collected using on-line surveys or polls. Second level feedback regarding learning will be evaluated using initial on-line polling upon sign-up and then subsequent on-line polling at periodic intervals. Third level assessment of behavioral changes will be evaluated through periodic interviews of a statistically significant number of participants. Fourth level assessment of results achieved will be measured through longitudinal tracking and interviewing of a statistically significant number of participants. Additional metrics will be collected including monthly growth in number of participants, and changes in geographic distribution of participants. In a second phase, if coaching services are provided, monthly growth in number of participants served will also be collected. 

Program Content and Delivery

The primary objective of this program is to encourage women, students of color, and students from low income backgrounds to consider careers in STEM fields. The primary means is by the creation of an online community that can provide information and advice about a wide variety of STEM careers. There are several elements to this community that will emerge over time including:

1. A human reference library (the community of STEM professionals, STEM students)
2. Links to career research tools
3. Links to level A assessments
4. Coaching services
5. STEM news
6. STEM jobs and internships posted from within the community

In order to be sustainable, the program must add value to community members as they grow in their STEM careers. Therefore, the intention is to recruit and encourage a very diverse membership such that college students can advise high school students, young professionals can advise college students, and experienced professionals can advise those just starting out in their STEM careers. While this is a secondary objective, it is critical. 

Another objective of the program is to serve as a resource for teachers and parents. Teachers, especially in K-12 cannot have detailed knowledge about every STEM career. But they can be better equipped to assist their students in understanding careers by directing them to the program as a resource. 

In a later phase of the program, coaching services will be provided. The intention is to fill a void that exists in too many public schools where there is no/limited college and career coaching. This void leads to many students making uninformed career and college choices, or making no conscious choices at all. Also in a later phase, members of the community will be encouraged to post jobs and internships that exist in their organizations. This will begin to address the issue of social capital and lack of networks for the targeted program participants. Job seekers will have access to community members who can help them understand available jobs and how to best position themselves for hiring consideration. 

In order to reach the target population, the community must be accessible on mobile devices. 

Resources

Fortunately, there are minimal costs in the initial setup of the community. Down the road, additional expenses may arise if staff needs to be hired for coaching, or office space and equipment is required. The resources needed are:

1. Marketing website and email account (acquired)
2. Community platform and mobile software applications (acquired)
3. Links and permissions for career research sites (in progress)
4. Links and permissions for assessment sites (in progress)
5. Domain names (acquired)
6. Critical mass of STEM professionals – 500 to start (in progress)
7. Incorporation as LLC (acquired)
8. Internet access (acquired)
9. Coaching staff (to be acquired)
10. News feed (ongoing)
11. Job/internship postings (to be acquired)

Barriers

There are a number of barriers that must be overcome in order for this program to succeed. The following table shows those barriers and potential approaches to overcoming each barrier.

Barriers and Solutions

Access to STEM professionals: Initially, grass roots organic growth through personal network and referrals. Leverage LinkedIn

Access to corporate entities: Leverage relationships at MN Chamber, HTC corporate partners, personal connections

Access to higher education  and K-12: Leverage connections and relations at alma mater, HTC, as well as school board connections

Access to societies, trade groups, and professional associations: Grass roots campaign through cold calls, emails, or letters. Leverage LinkedIn connections.

Access to chambers of commerce and workforce development groups: Leverage connections at MN Chamber

Access to foundations and non-profits: If needed, grass roots campaign of cold calls, emails, and letters. Leverage LinkedIn

Effective promotional strategies: See above

Funding: Currently not required, could develop “pay for services”, GoFundMe campaign, solicit investors/donors

Time:Prioritize to devote majority of spare time

Marketing Program

The primary stakeholders on which to initially focus marketing efforts are potential participants (students), STEM professionals and STEM students who are willing to provide advice, and schools, colleges, and universities who can get the word out through their career services function. The proposed marketing approach is presented below:

Stakeholder: Participants/Students

Features: Easy access on mobile devices with news on interesting STEM topics; access to career resources and assessments; access to the human reference library of STEM professionals and STEM students; job/internship postings; college and career coaching (phase 2)

Benefits: Keep up to date on advancements in STEM; assessments will provide useful insights into interests and skills; human reference library will provide multiple perspectives on a multitude of topics including: college choices; college majors; career paths; employers, etc.; and build social capital

Promotion: Zoom/personal visits with college career center staff; email/Zoom/personal visits with youth organizations like Big Brothers/Big Sisters; social media advertising/promotion

Stakeholder 2: STEM professionals/STEM students

Features: Connections to like-minded STEM professionals/students interested in helping advance careers; access to STEM news; targeted platform to place job/internship postings; easy access anywhere in the world on mobile devices; access to career resources and assessments

Benefits: Keep up to date on STEM news; gain useful professional insights and opinions; give back to the broader community with minimal time commitments; connect with potential employees

Promotion: Connecting with personal network and asking for referrals; connect with employers, trade associations, chambers of commerce in person/email/letters, and LinkedIn

Stakeholder 3: Schools, colleges, and universities

Features: new no-cost resource to assist students in career exploration; augmentation of college/career coaching services

Benefits: accessible anywhere on mobile devices; no-cost tool; expands network of available human resources beyond alumni

Promotion: connection with career centers, career counselors in-person/Zoom/email; promote through education and coaching associations through advertising and conference attendance