Innovative Approaches to Bridge the STEM Skills Gap
Strong
Technology Resources and STEM Education Critical to Our Economic
Future
Wimmer Solutions is at the
forefront of movement to educate and involve business and
government in supporting Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics
SEATTLE- During the past decade, Wimmer Solutions has evolved
from a staffing company to providing consulting, managed services
and staffing teams as a service/solution. Wimmer is a leader in
finding the right talent to meet clients' needs. And now it's more
important than ever that this talent begins with ensuring
Washington students get a strong foundation in STEM - Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Wimmer's partnerships with organizations such as Washington STEM and Technology Access Foundation
(TAF) Academy are helping to bridge the STEM skills gap by engaging
Washington businesses in the STEM education movement in Washington
state. Wimmer is at the forefront as a liaison that is educating
businesses to better understand the importance of supporting
STEM.
"At Wimmer, we feel that our company, as well as our
clients and potential clients, need to recognize the value of
strong technology resources for the future," said Matt Sauri, CEO
of Wimmer Solutions. "It is critical to raise awareness for this
need and support STEM by engaging other businesses at the
leadership level and helping at the school level."
At the leadership level, Wimmer has partnered with Washington
STEM to launch a STEM Business Breakfast series, aiming to raise
awareness about STEM education and the workforce pipeline while
forging powerful business-education partnerships. These monthly
gatherings spotlight business leaders from across the country who
challenge our thinking on what innovation means today. They serve
as an opportunity for fellow executives and education thought
leaders to connect with one another and accelerate their work.
Past STEM Breakfasts have featured Brad Smith, Microsoft; Jessie
Woolley-Wilson, DreamBox Learning; Ed Fries, X-Box; Naveen Jain,
Intelius; Zoran Popović, University of Washington; and Eric
Fingerhut, Battelle, among others.
"Our state's STEM economy is strong and will only grow stronger,
yet we are not preparing our students for these opportunities,"
said Patrick D'Amelio, chief executive officer of Washington STEM.
"This will have significant implications on our workforce pipeline
as demand for skilled workers grows. Washington STEM's partnership
with Wimmer Solutions is bridging education and our economy to
create impact-both for today's students and Washington's economic
future."
Wimmer has witnessed this growing demand for technology workers
as part of its evolution into a firm that provides comprehensive
team-based solutions. Today most companies are learning to do more
with less. When demand for their services or products are
increasing or changing, they often do not have the resources to
take on additional full time staff. The existing staff is stretched
to the limits without the time or right skill sets to handle the
extra work.
Wimmer now provides teams that take on clients' 24/7 support
needs, such as help desk and technical teams. For example, Wimmer
provides comprehensive 24/7 incident support to an enterprise
software company's Cloud Service offering, including
oversight/management, multi-disciplined development, build, test
and production governance.
"In some cases, companies or teams may not even have time to
understand what they need to resolve a current challenge," said
Sauri. "That is where Wimmer Solutions comes in. We work with
clients who don't have the time, money or personnel to address the
challenges they face in a business environment that is always
changing, especially where technology and related skill sets are
involved."
In addition to its heavy involvement and commitment to STEM
programs, Wimmer is active with the Technology Access Foundation
(TAF). CEO Matt Sauri has joined the TAF Resource Board, an
advisory panel for TAF, and will be featured as the 'voice of the
business community' in TAF's video for its spring luncheon.
Wimmer Solutions' partnership with Global Explorers and the AFAR
Foundation supports low-income and minority students at TAF Academy
with travel scholarships that combine the science of sustainability
with a once-in-a-lifetime global experience. Wimmer employees
volunteer as mentors to the program and support students in
preparation for a ten-day service-learning expedition to Costa Rica
exploring the science of sustainability and global applications of
STEM.
Wimmer invites business executives to attend a STEM Business
Breakfast and/or participate in a STEM conversation to discuss the
challenges they face due to the skills gap and concerns for future
workforce preparedness in STEM. To help direct investments in
breakthrough ideas and promising practices that will best serve
local companies and students alike, contact Wimmer Solutions at stem@wimmersolutions.com.
