Today’s Gen Z middle and high school students are enthusiastic problem-solvers who share a key trait with social media influencers: a drive to turn their passions into ventures. Ann Woo, Head of Corporate Citizenship at Samsung Electronics America, emphasizes this in her recent opinion piece for Fast Company.
Drawing on her experience leading Solve for Tomorrow, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education initiative that promotes innovation and problem-solving skills among public school students through annual STEM competitions, Ann writes that Gen Z-ers “are fundamentally creators and consumers, tech- and social-media-savvy individuals who aspire to be ‘makers’ while sharing an innate empathy for their peers and their communities. They view the world as interconnected, cutting across traditional subject boundaries—science, history, art, economics—that many teachers and parents expect schools to teach. They are more in touch with national and global concepts of community than previous generations.”
One result is that Gen Z students present complex challenges and opportunities for the STEM education field. This has significant implications for keeping students engaged in STEM and for supporting teachers with professional development programs that sustain their motivation and enthusiasm as active participants in this new educational landscape.
As for their future employers, Ann emphasizes the importance for businesses seeking to hire this next-gen tech workforce to take action now. This entails dedicating time and resources to develop strategies and programs that encourage and harness Gen-Z’s entrepreneurial instincts.
This is what Samsung has done through Solve for Tomorrow, which over its 14-year history has donated more than $24 million in prize packages to competition winners and inspired a new generation of STEM-savvy creators. This year, Solve for Tomorrow increased the innovation challenge by adding a new award—the Rising Entrepreneurship Award—to the list of national awards.
Citing three examples of Solve for Tomorrow student projects that have morphed into ongoing “social enterprises”—businesses that continue to contribute to their local communities long after their school’s prize-winning turns, Ann offers advice for companies that want to do their part in connecting with and encouraging entrepreneurship in STEM programs in their area schools:
Start locally: Engage with a local school or even an area school district to find out their needs in STEM education and where your particular skill set or product mix can contribute.
Focus on helping translate community-focused school projects into an ongoing social enterprise: Encourage programs that can help self-fund further STEM activity; consider incorporating an employee mentorship program into this effort.
Include teachers in your planning: They are the change agents whose latent business development capabilities need to be nurtured.
