STEM Premier and HOSA-Future Health Professionals announced a significant partnership Monday that will cultivate the future generation of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students focused on the health professions, while increasing opportunity for those students by strengthening connections between higher educational institutions and careers.

“STEM education is vital to building a talent pipeline that will fulfill future needs in the health industry,” said Dr. Jim Koeninger, HOSA-Future Health Professions Executive Director. “HOSA is honored to partner with STEM Premier to offer students increased access to resources and more direct pathways to in-demand, high-growth careers.”

Many of the 20 fastest-growing occupations are in health, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, including diagnostic and medical sonographers (projected to increase by 46 percent by 2022), physician assistants (38 percent) and prosthetists (36 percent). Overall, job growth in the STEM health industry is projected at 19 percent by 2022—much faster than the projected 12 percent for non-STEM jobs. This translates to approximately 1.3 million more health jobs in the next decade.

HOSA-Future Health Professionals is taking action by providing more than 200,000 members in 48 chartered state associations and six chartered countries access to a unique program that equips members with personal, leadership, and technical skills needed for success in their chosen health profession. HOSA, a federally recognized career and technical student organization (CTSO), focuses exclusively on secondary, postsecondary, collegiate and adult students enrolled in health science, biomedical sciences, and other programs preparing the next generation of health professionals.

STEM Premier is the first online platform solution that assists students in designing a career pathway, educators in recruiting top talent to their schools, and employers in developing a stable, continuous talent pipeline. STEM Premier is the first online platform for STEM that allows students to showcase their STEM skills and close the talent gap that exists in the STEM fields.

The collaboration between STEM Premier and HOSA engages HOSA students in the process of building their individualized brand, as STEM Premier offers the ability to build an electronic portfolio that showcases their STEM knowledge, skills, and abilities. STEM Premier also offers HOSA the capability to conduct longitudinal data analysis of their membership from program to workforce entry, providing statistical validation of the impact of programs offered.

“The median hourly wage of STEM health workers is roughly $36, or more than $74,000 per year,” said Dr. Don Tylinski, Ed.D., President of STEM Premier. “The collaboration between HOSA and STEM Premier addresses the opportunity gap that exists for students in largely underserved areas, while providing all STEM health students vastly increased resources to unlock their potential.”

About HOSA

HOSA, a federally recognized career and technical student organization, enhances the delivery of compassionate, quality health by providing members with personal, leadership, and technical skills needed for success in their chosen health profession.

About STEM Premier

Part of SCRA’s Technology Ventures’ SC Launch program, STEM Premier is the first cradle‐to‐career online solution that assists students in designing a career pathway, educators in recruiting top talent to their schools, and employers in developing a stable, continuous talent pipeline. STEM Premier is a subscription-based, multi-channel network connecting academic institutions, corporate partners, and government agencies to a pool of qualified STEM talent in the U.S. and global markets. For more information, go to www.stempremier.com.