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ICYMI: Our Nation’s Veterans Are a Perfect Match for STEM Jobs

May 20, 2019 | Press Releases

Our Nation’s Veterans Are a Perfect Match for STEM Jobs
By U.S. Senator Marco Rubio
May 17, 2019
Military.com
 
The future of work in 21st-century America will be dominated by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and computer science careers. To further enhance America’s position as an innovative, globally competitive leader, job creators should look to our nation’s veterans to fill these critical roles.
 
Our veterans are uniquely positioned to excel in STEM and computer science roles. Cadets across our service academies are educated in the STEM fields in order to be prepared to meet the demands of the military. While in service, the magnitude of unique training and skills — in cybersecurity, cryptology, avionics, weapons training, nuclear physics and medicine, to name a few — our active-duty military members receive can be well integrated into a variety of civilian STEM jobs.
 

 
Unfortunately, this first-hand training does not guarantee a job post-service. While you would think that returning home after serving our country would open up several doors to a successful new career, even in 2019, many veterans continue to struggle with transitioning into these next-generation civilian jobs.
 
By 2022, projections show that there will be more than nine million STEM jobs. During this same time period, more than 1.5 million members of the U.S. armed forces will retire from service and seek new careers. Despite the increasing opportunities available in the STEM fields, our veterans continue to face challenges to entering this critical workforce when they return home. Oftentimes, these barriers are as simple as issues with transferring military credits to college credits in order to qualify for certain jobs.
 
Enter the Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act (S. 153). Earlier this year, I was proud to join Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and Rep. Neal Dunn (R-Florida) in reintroducing this bipartisan legislation to eliminate obstacles preventing our nation’s well-qualified veterans from participating in the STEM workforce by directing the federal government to enhance outreach, education and research opportunities.
 
Read the rest here.