TCS reveals cross-sector STEM insights as ‘Voice of Corporate America’

BANGALORE, INDIA: Tata Consultancy Services, a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, today announced the results of its mapping analysis of STEMconnector's recent ‘100 CEO Leaders in STEM' publication, a first-of-its-kind survey of 100 American CEOs reflecting the corporate voice of America on important STEM issues.

During a live CEO panel organized by STEMconnector on September 25, Balaji Ganapathy, Head of Workforce Effectiveness, TCS North America, unveiled that the top focus areas for most CEOs were technology and innovation as key growth drivers, diversity and women in STEM fields, and the importance of these factors for the U.S. economy and competitiveness as a nation.

N Chandrasekaran, CEO and managing director, TCS said: "There is no doubt that a nation that is technologically savvy will inevitably have a competitive edge. As we become more ‘digital' as a society, not only does STEM education lead to technology-led innovations, but also increased competitiveness and productivity of a country. Future job growth will be in STEM disciplines, and a nation aspiring to be a global leader can use STEM education as a perfect platform for economic growth and prosperity."

TCS' Connected Marketing Solutions team analyzed and mined the most emphasized CEO responses in STEMconnector's report to reveal further insightful trends, challenges and recommended solutions. Across numerous industries, the top three areas of cross-sector CEO consensus were: 41 percent feel it is important to train young students and professionals in STEM education to meet critical future U.S. workforce needs; 40 percent strongly support STEM education of women and underrepresented minorities; and 35 percent feel technical training innovation is essential for economic growth and competitive advantage in the global marketplace.

The top five commitments from the 100 CEOs - representing a combined revenue of more than $3.27 trillion and 7.6 million employees - to increase STEM participation were:

1. Understand and train for critical STEMS skills and experiences their organizations need to succeed.

2. Invest in STEM education with public and private organizations, establishing mentorships and apprenticeships.

3. Increase employees' awareness of STEM challenges and establish cross-departmental alignment on STEM company initiatives.

4. Encourage them to get involved with STEM initiatives outside of work to help motivate future STEM employees.

5. Change perceptions within their communities by educating students, teachers, career counselors, and parents about the various and promising career opportunities requiring STEM skills.

TCS put its Connected Marketing Solution's Voice of Customer Analytics (VoCA) platform ‘Voice of Customer Analytics' (VoCA) platform to work, using text-mining algorithms to analyze each of the 100 CEO's responses, categorize them and extract key phrases, themes and opinions. Patterns, metrics and graphical summaries were identified to provide clear views of the CEO's perspectives, sentiment, satisfaction, expectations, and potential actions. In partnership with STEMconnector.

In September, TCS summarized the key issues and potential solutions to address STEM workforce issues, following the ‘Computer Science Executive Round Table' that it hosted in partnership with STEMconnector. This dynamic event held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. brought together executives, government officials and thought leaders sharing a common cause: increasing students' interest and participation in computer science (CS), advocating for stronger educational policy, and implementing programs that will effectively excite and prepare students for computer science careers. The event was designed to assess the current status of computer science education and careers at a national and state level, and then create a blueprint for addressing the key issues through cross-sector collaboration.

TCS also recently completed the fifth year of TCS goIT, its own multi-tiered program engaging students, parents, universities, and local government in competitions to increase excitement in STEM and technology related careers. The program is now expanding to cover 10 cities in the U.S. and Toronto, Canada.