March 28, 2025 Inspiring the Workforce of Tomorrow Through Education

Volume 28 | Issue 1

Connecting with K-12 students.

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Today’s manufacturers play a vital role in our modern economy. The sector contributes more than $2.3 trillion to the total U.S. GDP and employs 15-16 million workers, which is approximately 10% of the entire U.S. workforce. As critical as manufacturing is to our success as a nation, manufacturing industries face a stark challenge in the not-so-distant future. Research reveals that there are projected to be over 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030 due to a lack of skilled workers.

According to a National Association of Manufacturers Outlook Survey, “attracting and retaining a quality workforce” is one of the industry’s biggest concerns in the coming years. And in an aging sector like manufacturing, where the median age of workers is over 44 years old, this challenge is compounded by the difficulty of recruiting younger workers to fill the growing gap. As a result, it is critical that manufacturing companies strategically focus on engaging and inspiring tomorrow’s workforce today. Achieving future success requires companies to take proactive steps to connect with the next generation of workers and address skills gaps.

As a large industrial manufacturer and the largest steel company in America, Nucor is taking a forward-looking approach to connecting with today’s youth early through targeted employee volunteerism.

At Nucor, we believe that connecting our teammates in technical and professional roles with students is an impactful way to positively influence their aspirations, and by modeling passion for their work, our Nucor teammates are showing students that today’s modern manufacturers offer a diverse range of incredibly exciting and rewarding career opportunities.

Manufacturing Local Connections

Nucor teams in Nebraska are fostering student interest in STEM careers through FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a global nonprofit that offers STEM programs to K-12 students. Nucor established its Nucor Robotics Team in 2023 with five children of Nucor team members. Within one year, the team grew to over 30 student participants under the guidance of Nucor volunteer mentors. In 2024, students on the Nucor Robotics team worked an average of four hours each week with their coaches and mentors in order to prepare for their “first” FIRST Robotics competition. Their hard work paid off when the Nucor Robotics Team walked away with second place in Innovation, an extraordinary feat for a first-time participant.

While we realize the importance of providing exposure and igniting an early interest in STEM careers for middle and high school students, it’s equally imperative that we connect with older students who are continuing their education and seeking a rewarding future. With that in mind, Nucor’s three industrial operations in rural Norfolk, Nebraska, invested $250,000 in the Northeast Community College (Neb.) iHub. The Nucor donation will fund the Nucor Robotics Lab, a space aimed at developing youth robotics programs. When complete, the iHub will provide essential resources for robotics teams, such as practice space, coaching support and access to technology, and will ensure that students in their rural area have the same opportunities as their urban ‘competition’.

In addition, the iHub will house woods, metals and prototype labs for community use, as well as electromechanical and industrial automation spaces to support workforce development. The $8.5 million facility is expected to be completed by Spring 2026, and is funded by both governmental support and private donations – a great example of the public-private partnerships supporting our education system.

While our Nebraska team serves as a wonderful example of Nucor’s commitment to fostering STEM education among young learners, there are many similar examples throughout our company. At Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan, Nucor proudly sponsors summer youth programs, where high school students have an opportunity to explore various STEM-related careers through hands-on learning. Nucor teammates who are Michigan Tech alumni actively participate in these summer programs, working with students and sharing their career experiences to inspire the next generation of American steel manufacturers. “Early exposure to STEM- related careers can make a huge difference in a student’s decision to pursue them,” said Tessa Kriz, Michigan Tech alum and Process Development Analyst at Nucor. “The opportunity to give students a glimpse into what their futures could be is invaluable.”

By investing in these students, Nucor is not only supporting their individual growth, but also contributing to the broader goal of developing top engineering talent for the future.

Cultivating Career Exposure

Students cannot aspire to careers they do not know exist. That is why participating in partnerships and programs that introduce real-world examples of what it looks like to work in a STEM field opens the doors to many possible future careers, especially in communities where access to mentors and role models is limited. This helps students better understand the demands of the job market and improves broader career readiness.

Our Nucor Steel Memphis team has taken a vested interest in its local community, because not only do they share in our belief that the earlier students can see themselves in STEM fields, the better, but they also know that Memphis is often seen as one such area where access to mentors and role models can be hard to find. As a result, our Nucor Steel Memphis Engineered Bar division participates in the annual Manufacturing (MFG) Day, an initiative affiliated with the National Association of Manufacturers. Each year on MFG Day, local manufacturers open their doors to students, community partners, and educators to inspire future generations to pursue careers in the industry. In 2024, our Nucor Memphis team hosted more than 20 students from Power Center Academy High School, which included a tour of our steelmaking facility and an onsite college fair with local colleges and universities. Students asked insightful questions about working at Nucor Steel Memphis, and gained valuable insights into the educational pathways that will enable them to pursue a career in manufacturing.

“Our partnerships with local schools and interacting with students where our teammates live and work are a huge part of igniting curiosity in a Nucor career,” said Aubrey Houston, Human Resources Recruiter from Nucor Steel Memphis. “Building a presence in our local schools and communities is key to helping young people understand the opportunities in their own backyards.”

Going Further, Virtually

By partnering with global education technology leader Discovery Education, Nucor is expanding its footprint beyond the communities where Nucor has operations to inspire students using Career Connect. This digital network provides employee volunteers with opportunities to meet virtually with classrooms around the country, share their industry expertise and experiences, and introduce students to potential career paths. These direct-to-classroom connections help fill a critical gap for students, as research shows that 67% of students think that school is not evolving to meet workplace needs.

Another way to support students is to ensure that they have access today to the STEM resources they need to build the skills that they will need tomorrow. To further these efforts, Nucor is a proud partner of the STEM Careers Coalition, an alliance of industries and non-profit organizations that has provided more than 11 million students with access to free standards-aligned STEM resources and career planning tools since 2019.

“Helping educators equitably incorporate STEM into everyday learning is exactly why we are excited to work with Discovery Education on programs like Career Connect and the STEM Careers Coalition,” said Kristin Perkins, Talent Manager at Nucor. “By combining our teams’ expertise with their curriculum specialists, we can create authentic learning materials that benefit everyone. Teachers need engaging tools, and through these corporate partnerships, we can provide free, inspiring resources anyone can access.”

STEM education focuses on teaching problem- solving skills, with many of the most innovative thinkers being individuals who have overcome early challenges or lacked confidence in math and science.

Addressing Misconceptions

The steel industry, in particular, still faces outdated misconceptions about modernization, its environmental impact and the general experience of working in industrial manufacturing. An added bonus of interacting with younger students is the opportunity to head off any negative or outdated opinions before they are formed. This includes ensuring students understand that there are many diverse career paths for all types of skills and interests.

Within the steel industry alone, there exist over 140,000 jobs that are directly created from today’s modern steel production process, ranging from manufacturing and engineering careers and roles in project management, to sales, accounting, logistics and construction positions. The possibilities are endless!

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of workers in STEM fields is projected to increase by almost 11% by 2031, over two times faster than the total for all other occupations combined, while also offering salaries that are over twice as high. This makes careers in STEM-related fields both highly competitive and desirable.

However, a report from Gallup and Walton Family Foundation found that while 75% of Gen Z are interested in STEM fields, “only 29% list a STEM role as their first-choice career.” This data highlights a significant lack of exposure to STEM careers, including those in manufacturing. And this is far from an isolated issue — only 33% of 2023 graduates felt their schools regularly exposed them to diverse career options.

As society and industries face increasingly complex issues, providing students with opportunities to practice these skills and engage with STEM professionals will help create a more talented future workforce. By being proactive in their local communities, manufacturers have an incredible opportunity to not only provide students with valuable real-world insights, but companies can also enhance their future workforce pipeline by sparking early interest in their industries and establishing meaningful connections with the next generation of professionals.

About the Author:
Lauren Russell is Manager of Corporate Communications and Philanthropy at Nucor Corporation. Lauren is focused on aligning community relations and philanthropic efforts with Nucor’s strategic initiatives and values. Lauren is experienced in both internal and external communications and handles corporate projects, public affairs, and company-wide communications. With a background in non-profit work and a master’s in industrial and organizational psychology, Lauren is a true believer that doing good for your community and for your team is good for business. Lauren joined the Nucor team in 2013. Nucor is the largest steel and steel products producer in North America.

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