From curiosity to careers: How afterschool programs support STEM workforce development

By Della Cronin, Principal, Bose Public Affairs. 

September is National Workforce Development Month, an opportunity to recognize the programs, educators, employers, and community organizations helping Americans develop the skills they need to succeed in a changing economy. For the STEM education and afterschool communities, the month also reminds us that workforce development begins long before someone applies for a job.

The nation's future workforce is sitting in today's classrooms, afterschool programs, libraries, museums, science centers, and other community learning environments. Experiences that allow young people to code a robot, investigate an environmental problem, design an engineering solution, or meet a working scientist can build technical knowledge while developing problem-solving, teamwork, communication, and persistence.

Those experiences also help young people understand where STEM learning can take them.

Federal Programs Support the Education-to-Workforce Continuum

Education Department Programs

The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) provides approximately $1.4 billion annually for career and technical education. It supports secondary and postsecondary pathways that combine academic, technical, and employability skills and can connect students with work-based learning, pre-apprenticeships, and apprenticeships.

That connection is becoming more explicit. In March, the U.S. Department of Education issued guidance on aligning Perkins and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to create a more coordinated talent-development system. In May, the Education and Labor departments announced that 21 states had submitted combined WIOA state plans, up from nine in 2024. The agencies are encouraging states to better integrate Career and Technical Education (CTE) with workforce programs.

The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program provided approximately $1.33 billion in FY 2026 for before-school, afterschool and summer learning. Although 21st CCLC is not specifically a workforce program, it provides a federal platform for students to participate in enrichment activities outside the traditional school day, including STEM learning. In fact, the most recent annual performance data reveals that STEM is one of the most common activities provided by 21st CCLCs.

At the postsecondary level, the new Workforce Pell Grant program expands federal student aid to qualifying short-term programs of 8 to 15 weeks that prepare students for high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations. The program took effect July 1, and the Education Department has approved several Workforce Pell programs, most recently in Nebraska.

Labor Department Programs

In July, the Department of Labor (DOL) awarded nearly $162 million to expand Registered Apprenticeships, including opportunities in shipbuilding, the defense industrial base, and emerging technologies. The investments connect paid employment with structured training and credentials, which is an increasingly important model for developing workers in technical fields.

YouthBuild similarly combines education, occupational training, and pre-apprenticeship opportunities for young people ages 16–24. Late last year, DOL announced $98 million in available YouthBuild funding for programs in fields including construction, advanced manufacturing, information technology, and healthcare.

This month, DOL released a new Framework for Effective Pre-Apprenticeships, intended to help education and workforce programs build stronger connections to Registered Apprenticeships. The guidance specifically applies across federally funded programs including CTE, YouthBuild, and the broader workforce system.

Finally, DOL’s Workforce Pathways for Youth program, authorized under WIOA, funds out-of-school time organizations to partner with local workforce boards and youth-serving organizations to expand career exploration, durable skill development, and work-based learning opportunities.

Informal STEM Belongs in the Workforce Conversation

For STEM and afterschool advocates, National Workforce Development Month provides an opportunity to broaden the definition of workforce development.

A strong STEM workforce pipeline cannot begin when someone reaches community college or enters an apprenticeship. Young people first need opportunities to discover STEM, develop skills, see themselves in STEM careers, and understand the range of pathways available to them. Afterschool programs and other informal STEM learning environments can provide precisely those experiences and connect youth with local employers, CTE programs, community colleges, apprenticeships, and workforce boards.

Federal workforce policy increasingly emphasizes connections among education, training, and employment. STEM advocates have an opportunity to ensure informal STEM learning is recognized as part of that continuum—supporting young people to explore STEM content in afterschool programs helps them become curious about these fields and learn why they matter in the real world. Hands-on, project-based learning rooted in real-world contexts that afterschool programs offer begins to build the skills and expertise young people will need to become tomorrow's technicians, scientists, engineers, healthcare professionals, advanced-manufacturing workers, and innovators.

For help with messaging, check out the Afterschool STEM Hub’s afterschool STEM factsheet and the Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM and Society’s resource: Make the Case for Funding STEM and Civic Engagement in Afterschool Programs.