A report from the Washington-based Brookings Institution has said that the shortage of US workers with STEM (science, technology,
engineering and maths) skills is of increasing concern to industry.

The not-for-profit research body found that high-school graduates with STEM backgrounds are now in higher demand than university graduates who lack such skills.

The Still Searching: Job Vacancies and STEM skills report reveals that the US manufacturing sector has a harder time filling STEM job vacancies than other sectors, especially in sub-sectors that rely on R&D and thus employ larger STEM-based workforces.

Jonathan Rothwell (pictured), the author of the report, said that manufacturing firms must increase their levels of on-the-job training. He said: “People who may not have exactly the right skills could be paired with a more senior engineer and be trained on the job.

“Firms should also take a close look at their hiring practices to make sure they are up to date with changes in how people are acquiring skills.

“There has been a proliferation of on-line opportunities over the last few years through MOOCs — Massive Open On-line Courses — and other organisations that provide on-line access to university classes.”

Mr Rothwell also said that manufacturers should campaign for changes to the immigration laws to make it easier for foreign-born students who graduate from American universities to stay and work in the country, “so they could more easily obtain longer-term visas or a Green Card for permanent legal status.”