Education, Innovation and Competitiveness

Track C: The Role of Life Sciences in Public & Global Health

About half of the growth in the U.S. GDP since World War II is due to the development and adoption of new technologies, but U.S. performance in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education has declined. Further, the growth in U.S. educational attainment—each generation “out-attaining” the one before it—may be faltering. Enrollments are rising, but rates of completion appear to be stalling among young adults. Our continued economic competitiveness and innovation relies on improving educational attainment in general and STEM education in particular to provide the skilled workforce necessary to fill the highly technical, high-paying jobs of the future life science industry.

Panelists will provide a global perspective of U.S. educational performance and competitiveness, and share insights on how industry, government and the educational community are working together to ensure that the emerging workforce will be able to meet employers’ needs. The panelists will share experiences, best practices and specific suggestions for educational and industry partnerships that will increase the pool of skilled knowledge workers needed to ensure Georgia’s future competitiveness.