Changing the Equation: Randstad US Invests in STEM Education to Help Close Skills Gap

Randstad partners with Nepris to virtually connect STEM professionals to U.S. classrooms

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Sep 15, 2015, 10:35 ET

ATLANTA, Sept. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- For many young people, the decision to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) begins well before college. As part of its commitment to educate and encourage more students to consider STEM-related careers, Randstad US has partnered with Nepris to virtually connect STEM professionals and other experts with K-12 classrooms throughout the United States. Through a dedicated portal on the Nepris website, Randstad's network of clients and talent have the opportunity to register as subject matter experts and volunteer to present interactive, cloud-based sessions with students on their areas of expertise.

In addition to providing a platform for industry professionals to serve as virtual career experts, Randstad's pilot program will sponsor 50 Atlanta and Philadelphia-area teachers by offering complimentary access to the platform during the 2015-2016 school year. Randstad North America Chief Marketing Officer Kristin Kelley explains how the Nepris partnership allows Randstad to directly impact the future workforce by contributing to the nationwide effort of closing the STEM skills gap:

"As a leading human resources provider, Randstad is acutely aware of the talent shortage in high-growth fields such as engineering, information technology, healthcare, life sciences and some areas of finance and accounting. This partnership aligns with our long-term goal of bolstering America's STEM talent pipeline by integrating our networks' real-world expertise with students' STEM-based curriculum. We're excited to introduce our experts to classrooms and to provide invaluable learning opportunities uninhibited by barriers of distance, time or cost of field trips," said Kelley.

Over the past 10 years, growth in STEM careers has been three times greater than that of non-STEM careers, and constitutes 80 percent of the fastest growing occupations in the U.S. The Nepris partnership showcases Randstad's commitment to corporate social responsibility by providing educational opportunities to address a critical need in an ongoing effort to shape the world of work.

As a global industry leader, Randstad plays a key role in contributing to the simultaneous promotion of all interests, social and economic growth, and the general well-being of societies around the world. To learn more about our corporate social responsibility initiatives, visit: https://www.randstadusa.com/about/corporate-social-responsibility/.

About Randstad US
Randstad US is a wholly owned subsidiary of Randstad Holding nv, a $22.9 billion global provider of HR services. As the third largest staffing organization in the United States, Randstad provides temporary, temporary-to-hire and permanent placement services each week to over 100,000 people through its network of more than 900 branches and client-dedicated locations. Employing over 5,300 recruiting experts, the company is a top provider of outsourcing, staffing, consulting and projects and workforce solutions within the areas of Engineering, Finance and Accounting, Healthcare, Human Resources, IT, Legal, Manufacturing & Logistics, Office & Administration, Pharma and Sales & Marketing.

Learn more at www.randstadusa.com and access Randstad's panoramic U.S. thought leadership knowledge center through its Workforce360 site that offers valuable insight into the latest economic indicators and HR trends shaping the world of work.

About Nepris
Dallas-based Nepris brings STEM to life (and now STEAM, which adds the Arts to science, technology, engineering and mathematics) by connecting professionals with teachers and classrooms who need speakers, project mentors or evaluators for interactive, cloud-based sessions. Nepris makes this a turn-key process: identifying and registering professionals and teachers, matching professionals' skills to the teachers' needs, advising on best practices for classroom interaction, hosting the interactive sessions and tracking all the data in a social platform. See Nepris in action at Nepris.com/webinar or sign-up as a teacher or STEM professional at Nepris.com.

SOURCE Randstad US