On October 28, 2014, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Sustainability, Environment and Energy Committee held a panel discussion on “The Role of STEM Education in the Growing “Green Collar” Economy.” Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – referred to as STEM Education, will play a key role as our nation transitions towards a clean, green economy and sustainable future. Participants learned how community colleges, K-12 schools, and institutions of higher education are working to address the emerging career opportunities in our expanding green economy.

Representatives from Miami-Dade College, FIU, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS), Miami-Dade Water and Sewer, FPL and Florida City Gas, served on the panel and addressed topics such as:

  • Increasing student interest in green STEM fields and effective ways to engage them in STEM fields
  • Retraining current workers for green jobs
  • Introducing students to these fields prior to high school graduation and the links between secondary and postsecondary education
  • The current status of green technology and engineering fields
  • Future surplus of water and wastewater jobs due to high rate of retirement
  • Gender disparity for jobs in STEM careers

In 2014, Dream in Green aligned its Green Schools Challenge activities with the MDCPS STEM curriculum to facilitate program implementation for teachers and continue to reach a higher number of students through this program.