By: Dean Kamen, Founder, FIRST, President, DEKA Research and Development Corporation

Of all the things I've imagined and created over the years - the AutoSyringe, the iBOT and the LUKE Arm, to name a few - my most important invention, by far, has been my international youth robotics initiative, FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). I founded this nonprofit organization more than 30 years ago because it became obvious to me that, as a society, we weren't doing enough to recognize, encourage and promote the STEM interests of young people. Still today, we often prioritize school athletics and promote celebrity and influencer culture to the detriment of the vast majority of students who will never become professional athletes or movie stars. The message they need to hear is simple: STEM is the best way to go pro.

Three decades later, FIRST continues to grow, having inspired 2.5 million young people to build the STEM skills they need to secure a career in growing industries that power the U.S. economy and strengthen our global edge in innovation. Through exciting hands-on, team-based robotics competitions, they learn what it takes to thrive in a high-pressure, real-world environment that mirrors thousands of professions - from advanced-degreed to non-degreed - in dire need of an enhanced workforce pipeline. This dire need is why Congress needs to act and pass the USICA and America COMPETES Act legislation now, as I explain more below.

According to Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, 2.1 million manufacturing jobs could go unfilled by 2030 - mostly due to challenges in finding skilled talent. Meanwhile, U.S. competitiveness is in need of revitalization, and the social and environmental challenges we face require leadership, critical thinking, problem solving and innovation skills that simply aren't learned in a traditional classroom setting.

Thanks to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences' The Perils of Complacency report, we also know that a significant driver of our STEM talent shortage is the fact that the U.S. is failing to attract Americans of diverse backgrounds into STEM careers, from girls and young women to historically underrepresented groups. The good news is that we don't need to completely overhaul our education systems in order to grow equitable access to STEM opportunities and give millions of additional students pathways to successful careers in priority industries in desperate need of their talents.

For these reasons and countless more, a growing coalition of governors, members of Congress, state education leaders, private sector leaders and most importantly, parents have already embraced the principles of FIRST to drive impact for students in their state and local communities. This coalition has embraced FIRST as a turnkey solution that can be adapted by any state or community, at any time, for a fraction of the investment that might be made in a traditional athletics program.

In fact, during the 2019-2020 robotics competition season, more than one-third of all public K-12 districts had at least one FIRST team, and 45 percent of U.S. public schools with FIRST programs were Title I schools.

In Nevada, Tesla announced a $37.5 million investment in the K-12 system focused on initiatives that support the acceleration of robotics, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) and sustainability programming. In 2021, the state complemented this investment with $4 million to further expand access to STEM and robotics programs statewide, utilizing federal funds from the American Rescue Plan.

In California, the Greenfield Union School District has leveraged a partnership between Apple and FIRST to provide equitable experiences for its 3,600 pre-K-8 students - 95 percent of whom are from socioeconomically disadvantaged families, and 59 percent of whom are English learners.

In Ypsilanti, Michigan, educators created a high school based on the philosophy of FIRST - and the results were astounding: in a racially diverse community where the median household earns $31,000 and a third are below the poverty level, school administrators saw daily attendance rise from 84 percent to 92 percent, graduation rates soar from 69 percent to 97 percent, and suspensions plummet from 35 percent to the low single digits.

These examples illustrate the role that the private and public sectors can play in ensuring we have a truly 21st-century workforce. The federal government can and should prioritize these relationships. Now, we have the opportunity to put FIRST programs in every classroom in the U.S.

In the short term, this can be done by passing the USICA and America COMPETES Act, which includes much-needed workforce development and acceleration of the National Science Foundation's investment in proven hands-on STEM programs. Congress can go further by ensuring that this legislation is funded immediately through the FY23 appropriations process.

I'll be on the road this summer sharing more. First, I'll be at the National Governors Association's annual meeting, spotlighting how governors across the country are unlocking funding for FIRST and leveraging its programs to improve outcomes for students. Then, on July 27, filmmaker and actress Gillian Jacobs and I will host policymakers and Hill staff at a special screening of the film “More Than Robots” at the Naval Museum in Washington, to see the impact of FIRST through the lens of students, parents and educators. The film is also streaming now on Disney+.

For decades I've lived by the mantra “you get what you celebrate.” Through FIRST, we celebrate young people embracing STEM, and they go on to build a better world. As we dream of the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers equipped with the skills they need to navigate the world's complex problems, a solution awaits. Let's build it together.