Eastern Idaho educators learning more about STEM education

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – Educators from throughout the state are convening at Idaho State University's Eames Complex this week to learn STEM content and network at a workshop staged by the Idaho STEM Action Center.

The i-STEM Institutes offer educators high-quality, relevant, hands-on professional-development opportunities at five flagship locations throughout the state in June.

Each four-day session features independent strands conducted by educators focused on the 2022 theme, “Amplify STEM,” to help participants share their knowledge and passion for science, technology, engineering, and math within their schools and communities.

Idaho STEM Action Center was created in 2015, because Idaho citizens are not entering the STEM pipeline fast enough to meet current and future Idaho workforce needs. Its goals are to increase access to STEM opportunities, align education and workforce needs, and amplify awareness of STEM throughout Idaho.

The organization is working with industry, government, educators, and students to develop new resources and support high-quality professional-development opportunities to foster a STEM-educated workforce that ensures Idaho's continued economic prosperity.

STEM jobs in Idaho are projected to grow by 15.4% by 2030, outpacing the national average of STEM job growth at 10%. STEM jobs are broad and include careers in healthcare, engineering, software development, and agriculture, and STEM jobs pay nearly twice as much as non-STEM jobs.

STEM education builds knowledge and skills that are important to the future of Idaho, because it help students develop creative thinking, problem solving, innovation, and collaboration skills. These are skills that Idaho employers want and are needed to solve tomorrow’s problems.

Participants will leave with a kit of materials related to the strand they attend, ready to implement what they have learned into their classrooms.