Today, almost half of the job openings in Dallas require a bachelor’s degree, while only 37 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds in the city are enrolled in higher education. Microsoft executives met with city leaders this week to find out how YouthSpark can help.
Speakers included Cameron Evans, national and chief technology officer for Microsoft U.S. Education; Trey Bowles, co-founder and CEO of the Dallas Entrepreneur Center; and Marc Christensen, dean of the Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University.
The panelists focused on solutions to bridge the current skills gap in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Microsoft’s YouthSpark program is a helpful resource to prepare students for the future, help them gain the necessary skills and education, and secure long-term employment.
This initiative is not Microsoft’s first effort in Texas. During the last 11 years, the company has given charitable donations totaling more than $135.1 million in the state, including $4.8 million to the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas and $1.7 million to Houston’s Technology for All Inc.
Head over to the U.S. Metro News blog for more on this and other stories from around the country.
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Aimee Riordan
Microsoft News Center Staff