Why is PepsiCo interested in STEM?

MUMBAI, INDIA: PepsiCo has announced continued commitment to develop science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) talent and workforce skills, mentorship and advocacy through partnerships and education.

We decode the reasons.

Opportunities:

•    US STEM jobs are expected to grow 17 percent between 2008 and 2018, yet Americans and nationalities around the world are struggling to meet the demand as students opt out of STEM careers at an alarming rate due to lack of training, access or interest.

•    In 2020, the US will demand 123 million high skilled STEM workers, but will be met with only 50 million qualified to fill these roles.

Initiatives:

•    Grants: As part of its on-going STEM efforts, the PepsiCo Foundation has given a $1 million grant to support the New York Academy of Sciences' Global STEM Alliance, which inspires high school students to pursue STEM careers.

•    The PepsiCo Foundation grant will allow the New York Academy of Sciences to create The Junior Academy, as part of the Global STEM Alliance.

•    In the first phase of the 3-year grant, 250 secondary school students in underserved populations in the US will be selected to participate in the social learning platform, which gives them access to unique content and programming. These students will progress through a selection of curricula and challenges developed specifically for the newly created Junior Academy.

What is PepsiCo doing?

PepsiCo will support the national STEM Career Accelerator Week (CAW), which will take place October 19-23 across PepsiCo headquarter locations.

During the week, the company will host more than 300 students in grades 8-11, educators and parents with the goal of exposing young talent to career possibilities with a STEM education. Students will get practical hands-on experience in research and development, business Internet solutions, supply chain and finance, to make them more aware of how STEM coursework relates to the workplace.

The challenge:

As a way to apply their learning, students can participate in a 60-day PepsiCo Innovation Challenge, focused on the problem of food loss. Under the initiative, students would be asked to seek inventive ways to cut down on waste in the food chain, from production to household consumption.

The students will research, design and work to identify solutions to this global problem, mentored by PepsiCo employees in various STEM functions.

“We are presenting young talent with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to have hands-on, real work experiences that we hope will translate into higher numbers of students pursuing careers in STEM-related fields,” said Dr Mehmood Khan, Vice Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer, Global Research & Development, PepsiCo.

The differentiator:

•    Unlike other STEM programs, The Junior Academy allows the students flexibility through self-directed learning. Gamification techniques will be leveraged to engage and incentivize students.

•    In addition, Junior Academy students will have access to mentors from corporate partner organizations or STEM expert networks. Over the grant’s three years, the goal is to significantly increase the number of students engaged and to expand globally.

STEM and women:

In addition, PepsiCo is partnering with STEMconnector, an organization focused on promoting and expanding the teaching and learning of STEM, on two mentorship initiatives: Million Women Mentors and Career Accelerator Week.

Since women represent only 24 percent of the STEM workforce3, PepsiCo is focused on improving STEM mentorship opportunities and early career retention for this under-represented population.

STEMconnector’s Million Women Mentors (MWM) is a global program that supports the engagement of one million STEM mentors to increase the interest and confidence of girls and women to pursue and succeed in STEM programs and careers. PepsiCo holds the vice chair of the global MWM taskforce, and has already pledged 150 mentors to-date, with plans to expand to 1,000 in the US and globally in 2016.

Meanwhile, the Junior Academy is currently recruiting students through October 15, 2015. The student application and full program details can be found on the official Junior Academy website.