“The term ‘STEM’ needs a rebrand and awareness campaign to get the next generation of talent excited about pursuing these careers,” said Alan Stukalsky, chief digital officer for Randstad North America, in a comment on a Randstad study to find motivations, beliefs and perspectives of STEM-related topics among youths aged 11 to 17.

“Young people are self-selecting out of higher STEM education classes because they can’t see how these skills apply to different professions and employers they’re excited about,” Stukalsky said. “It’s a misperception and a serious economic problem, as a rapidly growing number of jobs now require STEM competencies. If we don’t find a way to guide and prepare the future workforce for these positions, we run the risk of the need for these skills escalating and the hiring gap expanding.”