What's New

Why are there so few women in tech jobs? Repeat after me, robotically, defensively: “It’s a pipeline problem!” So says David Cohen of TechStars, echoing many others, e.g. Paul Graham and CNN. But come on, folks. We’re kidding ourselves if we pretend that’s the only obstacle here. The pipeline problem is very real; but so is the trapdoor problem. It’s true that it would be better if more women went into technology to begin with, but it’s disingenuous to turn a blind eye to the fact that many women who do enter the industry subsequently drop out of it. Why?

Ever since President Obama announced the “Educate to Innovate” campaign for Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Education in November 2009, U.S. educators have launched a number of initiatives to push down STEM education to an earlier and earlier age.

Mike Mansuetti, president of Robert Bosch North America, says there are tremendous opportunities for young people with STEM educations to obtain good-paying, rewarding careers in the auto industry. For Bosch, this includes everyone from researchers who create the products of the future to engineers who touch every aspect of product development, manufacturing personnel and automotive technicians who maintain cars and trucks. But like so many other companies, Mansuetti says Bosch can’t find enough qualified people to fill needed positions.

In a first-of-its-kind study, Brookings Institution scholar Jonathan Rothwell finds that the science, technology, engineering and math labor market suffers from a very particular kind of skills gap. It’s not just that there aren’t enough skilled workers to fill the jobs; it’s that the skills workers have aren’t specific enough. Read more of the article here.