Abstract
Due to increasing digitalization in all aspects of life, the demand for qualified software development professionals continues to increase. Students from underrepresented groups, such as first-generation students from non-academic families, minorities, single parents, and women represent an underutilized pool of hitherto untapped potential talent. The question arises as to which unique perspectives STEM graduates from underrepresented groups can bring to their future careers. In addition to programming skills, non-technical competencies, such as foreign language abilities, intercultural communication, creativity, conflict management, team-building, and organizational skills are vital for success in diverse, international project teams. Historical data from a large job market database for new graduates, developed for a consortium of universities in Bavaria, Germany, is analyzed using machine learning tools. Career competencies requested over the last 14 years by recruiting companies are compared to potential advantages offered by STEM graduates from underrepresented groups. Forecasts for the future demand in career competencies are projected based on this historical data.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments which greatly improved the quality of this work. This research project, “DiaMINT,” was supported by a grant from the Staedtler Foundation.
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Maurer, K., Hinze, A., Schuhbauer, H., Brockmann, P. (2021). Diversity as an Advantage: An Analysis of the Demand for Specialized and Social Competencies for STEM Graduates Using Machine Learning. In: Ifenthaler, D., Sampson, D.G., Isaías, P. (eds) Balancing the Tension between Digital Technologies and Learning Sciences. Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65657-7_9
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