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Veterans in STEM June Challenge

Opening Session

KC BANCS is supported by the National Science Foundation under NSF Award 0929212. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation.

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What is Veterans in S.T.E.M.?• Academic and career support program for

veterans majoring in STEM fields• Designed to meet veterans at critical junctures• Provides veterans with a network of resources

& opportunities• Find out what resources and benefits are

available to use to reach your STEM career goals

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Why Veterans? Why S.T.E.M.?

• NSF wants to attract more veterans to the STEM fields

• Veterans are an untapped, STEM-capable workforce

• The U.S. has a national priority to increase our STEM workforce

• STEM college degrees are a great investment in yourself

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S.T.E.M. Capable Workforce

• STEM means jobs• By some counts 2-3 million positions are

unfilled because companies can’t find workers with technical skills.

• 2-year degree in STEM field worth more than 4-year liberal arts

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Career Readiness Support for Veterans

• STEM is not one field, it’s a collection of fields• How does military experience fit in the STEM

job market?• Need some training or skills to reach your

goals? How to figure out higher education.• So many opportunities and resources – select

some, network, and forge a path

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Overview of EventsBUILD YOUR ONLINE

PORTFOLIOTRANSLATING MILITARY

EXPERIENCES TO CIVILIAN PRACTICES

NETWORKING WITH STEM INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO BOOST YOUR NETWORKING

NAVIGATING HIGHER EDUCATION

STEM TALKS

BUILDING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

WORK-LIFE-COLLEGE BALANCE

PROFESSIONAL DINNER

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE NETWORKING PRIMER MIX & MATCH

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Open BadgesPremises:• Learning happens everywhere. Individuals who

can demonstrate that they learn in and apply their learning in different settings have the skills employers want.

• Resumes are no longer enough to impress an employer. Here’s why: resumes are documents jobseekers have written themselves. They are difficult for employers to validate.

• ePortfolios go a step further so the job seeker can demonstrate his or her learning and accomplishments.

• Earning a digital badge goes even further because an employer can click on the digital badge and find out what an applicant did to earn it.

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Earn Up to Five Open Badges• ePortfolio – This Open Badge documents that the June Challenge participant has learned

what an ePortfolio is, how to represent himself or herself in a professional manner through an ePortfolio, and has successfully built and published an ePortfolio.

• workshops.• Networking – This Open Badge documents that the June Challenge participant has learned

about networking specific to STEM careers and has applied the new knowledge through practice sessions.

• STEM Talks – This Open Badge documents that the June Challenge participant has taken a leadership role in actively learning about transition to civilian careers in STEM and participating in community conversations to share his or her own experience and knowledge.

• STEM Career Insight – This Open Badge documents that the June Challenge participant has taken an interest in learning as much as possible about building a successful career in the STEM fields.

• June Challenge – This Open Badge documents that the June Challenge participant has gone above and beyond the basic requirements for taking the June Challenge. Earning this badge exemplified leadership and a desire to excel in a STEM career.

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