Graduate Students and the STEM Workforce: A Capacity Building Proposal to Identify Needs and Shape an Action Plan to Enhance Professional Development Programs and Opportunities

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The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is undertaking an exploratory capacity building project to plan a multi-year Best Practice research effort focused on institutional models and strategies for integrating STEM workforce development and graduate education. The project will provide a better understanding of what skills deficiencies employers identify in STEM graduate students, what structures are or are not in place to meet those needs, what learning environments are effective, and how investments can be directed and leveraged to enhance STEM workforce preparation. The effort will fill a knowledge gap for graduate degree holders through in-depth input of industry leaders into the research design of the proposed follow-on research plan.The project will lay the groundwork for a more comprehensive evidence-based research study that will identify the characteristics of institutional models and strategies that effectively align professional development training with degree requirements and career outcomes. The primary tasks consist of a CGS member survey, a synthesis/framework paper, a workshop of key stakeholders, and a culminating publication that will include project results, a framework for future action, and a compendium of existing model programs. These activities will involve different types of institutions throughout the U.S. and industry leaders from multiple STEM employment sectors.