This project focuses on workplace expectations for STEM related competencies and the subsequent design of educational curricula in postsecondary institutions and STEM education interventions. It responds to the need to produce empirical evidence regarding employer expectations in STEM related fields that would enable the integration of these expectations into educational practice. Thus, the project goals are to (1) identify employer expectations for the types of skills, knowledge, and competencies required for success; (2) ascertain the degree to which these expectations are integrated into the design of educational curricula and STEM education interventions; and (3) explore the implications of employer desires for hard and soft skills for the postsecondary curriculum. These issues will be examined in regard to the advanced manufacturing and biotechnology industries within the State of Wisconsin. It expands a small-scale study on these topics that was launched in 2012 by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Education and Work. That study draws on a sociotechnical theory of organizations by focusing on the ways in which successful employees are able to bring a variety of skills and competencies obtained through their education to navigate workplace complexities and maximize their performance. The PIs will use a comparative qualitative case study design where in-depth interviews
