Bridge Skills: The Missing Piece in the STEM Pipeline
Published: October 2023
Even though entry-level hiring numbers have been improving, women still make up only 34% of STEM roles, with larger gaps for the highest-paid and fastest-growing jobs. The progress in these sectors has been approaching a plateau.
What “good enough” looks like in the college classroom isn’t the same as what “good enough” looks like in the office. While a new hire may have subject matter expertise, they may not have the core collaborative competencies that could make them an asset to a team.
Survey data finds that entry-level employees are less likely to look for jobs elsewhere when a company invests in upskilling during their first few years. The relationship between early upskilling and sustained tenure is even stronger for female employees and employees of color.
"Bridge Skills: The Missing Piece in the STEM Pipeline" examines why employers struggle to retain the talented women they've worked hard to recruit and identifies the cultivation of "Bridge Skills" - the competencies that are necessary to thrive in an organization but are frequently absent from educational curricula - as a critical piece of the puzzle. Employers have an opportunity to see the long-term benefits of their recruiting efforts - if they are intentional about helping women reach their full potential from day one.
AdaMarie and the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association have teamed up to explore the best practices that can help both employees and employers gain a competitive advantage by fostering Bridge Skills in these first crucial years by asking:
What challenges do women face in the transition from the classroom to the workplace?
Where do employers see early-career hires falling short?
How can employers better support them?
