Local businesses support STEM educational opportunities for kids

To Jeff Beneke, area businesses have every reason to invest in STEM educational opportunities.
Beneke is the regional manager of Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, an organization tasked with promoting opportunities in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. One of his premier events is a yearly STEM fair in which local organizations — and many businesses — set up booths at which area students can experience hands-on learning opportunities. “(The businesses) are the ones that have the demand for the careers,” said Beneke. “They’re going to be able to showcase the careers that are in demand for the young people in the future.” Businesses such as John Deere Dubuque Works have been frequent collaborators, Beneke said. Other local companies, including FarmTek, Design Mill Inc., Bodine Electric Co. and IBM, all have stepped up to promote STEM education. “You don’t realize the career opportunities that are out there until you see them,” he said. “That’s what these businesses bring to our cause.”John Deere Dubuque Works’ parent company, Deere & Co., recently became a global sponsor of FIRST Lego League, a national robotics event focused on using STEM concepts to solve real-world problems.