Dassault Systèmes has long been dedicated to the advancement of STEM education, and that’s why we are happy to reveal that Scott Berkey, CEO of SIMULIA, is included in this year’s Top 100 CEOs in STEM by STEMConnector.
In an interview with STEMConnector regarding the current state of STEM education in the United States, Berkey made it clear that educational opportunities are becoming time-critical, as the “current baby-boomer workforce is rapidly entering retirement age. It will take all of us, working together, to ensure that we are providing hands-on experience and educational opportunities for our young people as early in their development as possible. If we gain the academic edge, we will achieve stronger competitiveness as a nation.”
Activities here in North America have included hosting students on our campus for STEM Career Accelerator Day in 2015, to just this 
past April, hosting the Global STEM Talent Summit in order to address the issue of dwindling STEM workers and students. The summit focused on brainstorming the best course of action when it comes to talent development strategies, as well as taking shared responsibility for improving the scale and speed of incorporating new employees into the field in response to the “STEM shortfall.”
Berkey also expressed the importance of empowering women in the STEM field, stating that “we must break through the traditional barriers of gender and socio-economics. This means ensuring that girls are encouraged to get involved with STEM programs and bringing STEM activities to inner-city schools. We need mentors who are able to guide and support these students throughout their academic careers.” This includes empowering students from all different kinds of backgrounds.
Through our Women’s Initiative (WIN) here at Dassault Systèmes, we have been able to help women from all over the world gain access to STEM education. WIN pioneered a program in 2013, in alliance with NYANZA Technical School in Rwanda, to benefit young women in the country through a sponsored education curriculum. Our company is fiercely committed to the importance of giving all students, regardless of age, gender, or background, the chance to succeed in the STEM workforce.
Berkey is confident in the future of STEM, as long as those that are currently at the helm of businesses put in the time and effort to keeping STEM education a priority. “Ultimately,” he said, “it all starts with motivated and inspirational leaders within our organizations. These people are not just top-level executives, but managers and individual contributors who have the passion to get involved and stay involved year after year. By empowering our employees to be STEM leaders, the impact we can have on building the next-generation, highly educated workforce will be much greater.”
Read Scott Berkey’s full Q&A here.
