The Trefler Foundation has awarded five Innovation & Opportunity in STEM Career Pathways grants to nonprofits in the Greater Boston area working to enhance the skills and educational opportunities of historically underserved populations in the STEM workforce.
The Innovation & Opportunity in STEM Career Pathways program focuses on providing resources to organizations working to address the barriers to entry faced by underrepresented communities by increasing awareness and meaningful access to educational and career pathways in STEM-related fields.
Currently, Massachusetts is home to around 156,000 STEM-related jobs. These employees—largely located in the Greater Boston Area—represent 4% of the state’s entire workforce. Indeed, this sector of the local economy is only expected to grow.
Large segments of the Greater Boston workforce have been left on the sidelines as our knowledge-based economy has expanded. We see these education and training investments as being critical to closing that gap.
Daniel Sherman, President
However, despite the large concentration of STEM-related jobs in the city, many Boston neighborhoods and their residents are not represented in this labor market. Communities with less exposure to the STEM field and with fewer post-secondary graduates are underrepresented in the sector. This perpetuates a cycle that prevents economic mobility as individuals see fewer opportunities, and face barriers to entering and advancing in STEM-related jobs.
Per Scholas, Inc.–Greater Boston for their Greater Boston Youth IT Job Training program, which provides rigorous IT job training and connections to employment opportunities for young adults to advance economic equity in technology careers.
Just-A-Start Corporation for their Career Connect program, a tuition-free education, and training program for income-qualified adult students to enter sustainable careers in the Biomedical and IT fields.
Resilient Coders, Inc. Fall 2021 & Spring 2022 Coding Bootcamps in Boston to expand vital community engagement endeavors, post-hiring alumni support, and employer-partner relationships. This support will also grow the organization’s advocacy work via the upcoming Equitable Employment Summit.
Science Club for Girls, Inc. for their Supportive STEM Pathways for Young Women from Underrepresented Communities initiative that will serve young women in grades 8-12, and those already in STEM majors in college, in the Greater Boston area with high-quality, hands-on STEM programming that cultivates interest in, awareness of, and the skills necessary for meaningful careers in STEM fields.
The LEAH Project, which places youth in paid STEM internships in and around the Boston area, including STEM teaching, general STEM, and biomedical research internships.