This week, 2 of Cisco's current or former education nonprofit partners were recognized by Business Roundtable for their work to prepare U.S. K-12 students for college and the workplace.
As a technology company, Cisco views STEM education as a business imperative, and these organizations all recognize the urgent need to encourage students to pursue STEM subjects, said Alex Belous, a program manager for Cisco and the Cisco Foundation who has worked closely with these nonprofits to facilitate Cisco's support.
"STEM education is essential for developing a workforce with the skills in math, science, and critical thinking needed to support today's technology-based economy," he said.
According to the Math + Science Initiative, jobs in computer systems design and related services are expected to grow by 45 percent between 2008 and 2018 in the United States, but only 45 percent of high school students graduating in 2011 were ready for college-level math and only 30 percent were ready for college-level science.
The winning programs were selected from nearly 100 applicants. Business Roundtable will work the winners to help scale up their efforts. Congratulations to our partners!
Learn more about how Cisco supports education and STEM in particular at csr.cisco.com.