On Monday, March 25, 2019, North Carolina middle school teachers will learn how to connect classroom teaching to STEM careers at the second-annual emPowering STEM Classroom to Career Conference, held at the GSK headquarters in Research Triangle Park.
The emPowering STEM Conference will help teachers learn how to help students get the skills they need to succeed in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers such as agribusiness, information technology, biotechnology and energy. Each school district in the state was invited to send a middle school STEM teacher to the conference.
“Business leaders tell me their number-one need is a well-trained workforce, and with thousands of jobs currently available, workers need the right skills to succeed,” Governor Roy Cooper said. “By bringing educators and employers together, we’ll help students develop the skills they need to thrive in the workforce.”
Employer leadership and work-based learning are key components of NC Job Ready, Gov. Cooper’s initiative to help North Carolina’s workers get skills and training to succeed in the jobs of today and tomorrow. Employer leadership and work-based learning opportunities like the emPowering STEM Conference strengthen North Carolina’s talent pipeline by ensuring students learn about careers available in their community and gain technical and other professional skills needed to succeed in the world of work.
The emPowering STEM Conference will give educators real-world applications to STEM concepts and help them develop awareness of STEM careers in their communities. The conference is a project of the North Carolina Business Committee on Education (NCBCE), a nonprofit housed in the Governor’s Office, that develops and executes education programs including work-based learning.
Reporters who wish to attend the conference should contact Marti Skold Jordan with GSK at Marti.x.skold-jordan@gsk.com.
At the conference, Kenan Fellow alumni and experts from the North Carolina Electric Cooperatives, Duke Energy, Siemens, Dell Computers, the Department of Poultry Science at NCSU, Applied LifeSciences & Systems, the Morehead Planetarium, Fleet Readiness Center and GSK will work with teachers throughout the day in interactive learning labs to help connect classroom teaching to STEM industry careers. First Lady Kristin Cooper and Jack Bailey, GSK’s president of U.S. pharmaceuticals, will speak to the conference during lunch.
About GSK
GSK is one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For further information please visit gsk.com.
About the North Carolina Business Committee for Education
The North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) is a business-led, education non-profit (501-c3) that operates out of the Office of the Governor. Since 1983, NCBCE has provided a critical link between North Carolina business leaders and the state’s education decision makers, helping to create connections between the education curriculum and the overall work readiness of citizens across the state. Learn more at ncbce.org.
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