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News Brief

Sept. 27, 2018 |  By: Ryan Elliott

Senator Hegeman talks future STEM careers

The Missouri State Legislature held a special session earlier this month and approved the proposal of a bill focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math career awareness.  State Senator Dan Hegeman, a Republican from Cosby, says House Bill 3 will ask the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to create a STEM career awareness program.

"....to increase the awareness of the STEM careers and that'll go through grades 6 through 8 - the middle school years- trying to do that.  It allows for some credits to be used as people look at graduation as it moves into high school years.  It allows one unit of academic credit with a district approved computer science course could be there for any of their math or science or practical arts credits that they have to use for graduation.  So again, it gives them an option to use it in one of those ways to match those graduation goals that are out there already."

Hegeman also adds the state needs to fill many more computer science jobs.

"Some of these are being filled by people outside the state of Missouri.  Why not have our youth ready to go into those fields - trained up to go into those areas?  And again pulling down some above-average incomes in the process?  This is a great opportunity that youth and students could make a career out of.  When in that regards, the state wins by having those good high-paying jobs.   The state wins by attracting even more businesses that need those kinds of employees in the state of Missouri.  This really develops a career and workforce for the future and something that is much needed and where we need to go."