The Mankato area has an opportunity to be on the leading edge of encouraging and providing the jobs of the future, and an event last week shows the community leaders have a start.
Minnesota State University, South Central College, schools in the region and the Minnesota Department of Education hosted a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Summit that drew 300 high school students interested in technology careers. Students toured the area institutions of higher education and heard about careers in technology. Most important, they were shown how studying science, math, engineering and technology while still in high school could help prepare them for the world of the future.
The Department of Education hosted eight summits around the state that brought together students, businesses and institutions of higher education. It's a worthwhile idea, exposing young people to the opportunities in these growing fields. Education department officials say that of the areas holding summits, the Mankato area is maybe ahead of the pack with projects such as Project Lead the Way, an initiative at MSU that exposes students to engineering technology through a basic engineering class at East High School and other projects.
The good news for students is there appears to be many technology jobs available right where they live. A dozen local companies attended the summit to introduce students to their business and potential job opportunities.
The Mankato area's growing higher educational community provide the means for students to get technology training. Mankato's business community, through the efforts of Greater Mankato Growth Inc., the merged Chamber and economic development organizations, has already started efforts to retain and draw technology business to the area.
The group wants to make inroads to supply jobs for the 50 percent of MSU graduates who say they would like to stay in the Mankato region. Right, now, less than half actually can find work here.
The science and technology summit stands as one of the ways to get the larger community involved in developing jobs and a regional economy that will be strong, vibrant and adapting to the needs of the 21st Century world. It's a good start to what should be a continual emphasis for economic developers and regional planners.
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