STEM@CGI in the U.S.

The United States has many more science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) jobs available than people who are qualified to fill them. Over the next 5 years, it is estimated that American companies will need to add nearly 1.6 million STEM-skilled employees.

STEM@CGI is a program designed to help solve this, by helping build a diverse future workforce. Through the program hundreds of CGI members have worked with thousands of students in U.S. communities from Los Angeles, CA to Fairfax, VA.

STEM@CGI focuses on training and mentoring young people for STEM careers. It strives to provide experiences that inspire students with the drive to learn and create a bright future in the digital workforce. The program is aimed at students in demographics that are underrepresented in STEM fields, including women, minorities and the economically disadvantaged.

CGI professionals work hand-in-hand with schools, local governments, nonprofits and local businesses to plan and conduct activities and events that help bring STEM to life for every participating student. Our flagship program, CGI STEM Camp, teaches children about STEM-related careers through fun, interactive one-day events, provided at no cost to the students.

STEM@CGI also engages in workforce development initiatives. Three of our onshore centers - Belton, TX, Lafayette, LA and Lebanon, VA - participate in university capstone classes. We also launched a pilot community college internship program our Lafayette, LA onshore delivery center for summer 2018.

The roadmap for STEM@CGI links programs to specific and practical community objectives that can be measured, including:

• Collaborating with higher education: By working closely with local colleges, universities, technical institutes and workforce development agencies, our STEM@CGI stakeholders help provide a highly trained workforce for IT careers.
• Supporting K-12 students: We team with complementary groups across the public, private and nonprofit sectors to increase the number of young people who have access to the education and training needed to enter in-demand STEM professions.
• For example, CGI professionals mentored four Lafayette student teams participating in the Congressional App Challenge for Louisiana’s 3rd district, submitting the following apps: Rescue Me (watch video) – the winning app for the Louisiana 3rd district challenge!; Password Generator (watch video); Find Route (watch video); and Weather Overflo (watch video).
• Developing innovative programs: Our U.S. onshore IT delivery centers serve as living labs for testing new programs while building relationships with community organizations and students.
• Implementing best practices: We are both testing new ideas and learning from other industry leaders and scholars on the best ways to inspire young people to pursue STEM careers.