(SME: Dearborn, MI) -- As skilled labor shortages continue to hold back various sectors of U.S. manufacturing, national organizations are looking at their investment strategies and realizing they must include the funding of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs to protect their longevity. Otherwise the tagline “Made in America” will become obsolete.

One reason why this is important was stressed in a recent Wall Street Journal article, “China Dangles Rare-Earth Resources to Investors.” The article describes a technology-for-resources strategy where electronics manufacturers and automakers would be invited to set up rare-earth processing plants in China, giving them access to low labor costs and fast-growing markets. This is one of a growing number of examples of why it is not just important but crucial that technology-based education in this country accelerates.

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