Case Study

First Robotics "In our league, all the players get to go pro."

Excepted from "The Innovation Generation: The Gen Y Way & How New Thinking Can Reclaim the American Dream" by Jenny Floren

Looking at efforts that help bridge the divide between education and the working world, a program that's caught the eyes of many is First Robotics. Founded by Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway, this nonprofit organization ambitiously aims to make science "cool" through a varsity sports model of interscholastic competition.

FIRST challenges teams of high schoolers to solve a common problem in six weeks using only a standard kit of parts and a common set of rules. Teams build robots from the parts and enter them in competitions that escalate to a national level. Their mission is "to transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes."

If you have never attended a FIRST Robotics competition, you are really missing out. The championship event, which this year was held in the Georgia Dome, rivals the Super Bowl—but with more energy and excitement. Paul Gudonis, president of FIRST, embodies the passion and commitment behind the organization's mission. He and his team have inspired more than 90,000 supporters to participate as volunteers and mentors to more than 200,000 students—and have engaged more than 3,500 sponsors to contribute their support.

An independent study by the Brandeis University Center for Youth and Communities found remarkable results. Compared to their peers, students who participate in FIRST are not only significantly more likely to attend college, they were also three times more likely to major in engineering, four times more likely to pursue a career in engineering, and 10 times more likely to have an internship during their freshman year in college. They are also more than twice as likely to volunteer in their communities. And, as Dave Lavery, the program executive for solar system exploration at NASA, explains, companies and government organizations involved with the program benefit because FIRST is "creating new engineers who will drive the future economic engine of the country."

For more examples of how organizations are supporting the value of the emerging workforce, see The Innovation Generation: The Gen Y Way & How New Thinking Can Reclaim the American Dream by Jenny Floren.