New Analysis Examines NSF Investments in the Skilled Technical Workforce

Understanding how federal investments support the skilled technical workforce can help inform future workforce development efforts and strengthen the nation’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) talent pipeline. A new report from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) provides a comprehensive look at NSF investments in programs and research related to workers who use significant STEM knowledge in their jobs but do not hold a bachelor’s degree.

The report uses a combination of methods to examine NSF awards related to the skilled technical workforce, addressing the CHIPS and Science Act’s call for a public-facing portfolio analysis of NSF’s skilled technical workforce investments in education, research, infrastructure, and data collection and analysis. Westat researchers Breanna Wakar, MA; Nick Askew, MS; and Kelsey Gray, MS, were among the report’s authors. Gizem Korkmaz, PhD, served as a senior advisor on the report.

The analysis examines NSF awards from fiscal years 2018 through 2024, including funding levels, geographic distribution, and characteristics of recipient organizations. Researchers also analyzed award abstracts to identify themes related to the skilled technical workforce.

The report found that although skilled technical workforce-related awards represent a relatively small share of all NSF awards, both the number of awards and the amount of funding have increased in recent fiscal years. The investments span all states and institution types, with doctoral degree-granting institutions and emerging research institutions receiving the largest share.

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Portfolio Analysis of NSF Skilled Technical Workforce Investments (PDF)

Breanna Wakar, Harper McCall, Nick Askew, and Kelsey Gray