Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are so integral to daily life that many of us take these for granted. The cars we drive, the medicines we take, our cell phones and computers, the plastics, chemicals, and utilities we rely on, all require STEM know-how.
This is where GNO, Inc. rocks — literally. The Greater New Orleans, Inc. Region One Center for STEM, or GNOrocs, works to improve access to STEM education and increase participation and advancement in the STEM workforce. It is one of nine strategically located STEM Network Centers throughout Louisiana created by the Louisiana Board of Regents STEM Advisory Council in 2022. They support access to STEM learning at every level, from early childhood to higher education and adult workforce training.
Mind the Gap
There are around 89,000 STEM jobs in the GNOrocs region (Orleans, Jefferson, St. Charles, St. Bernard, St. James, St. John the Baptist, Tangipahoa, Washington, Plaquemines, and St. Tammany parishes) and the number is growing. In just two years (2021-2023), STEM jobs grew by ten percent and there are currently over 25,000 positions available. With a quarter of the STEM workforce slated to retire soon, the need for people with STEM education, training, and experience will only continue to grow.
Despite the increased demand for STEM occupations across the region, incentivized graduates in STEM fields have gradually declined since 2015. GNOrocs programs directly improve their chances of landing relevant, rewarding STEM jobs thereby benefiting the entire region.
“GNO, Inc. is dedicated to growing the STEM ecosystem and establishing a regional STEM brand that showcases Greater New Orleans as a top producer of STEM talent,” said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of GNO, Inc.
GNO Innovation Internship Program
Founded on the principles of equity, partnership, and sustainability, GNOrocs focuses on closing the STEM opportunity gap for underserved and under-represented populations.
“We saw the pool of skilled tech personnel shrinking while the demand for tech was growing,” said Daphine Barnes, GNO Inc.’s Director of STEM and Economic Mobility. “We found that STEM graduates were leaving Louisiana, especially graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).”
The loss is felt across the board, including in the computer and data science industries where approximately 46% of graduates in the region are persons of color but only occupy 36% of the computer and data science jobs.
This is where GNO Inc.’s GNO Innovation Internships Program comes in. Students from Dillard University, Southern University and A&M College, Southern University at New Orleans, and Xavier University of Louisiana, who win one of the coveted internships gain access to a range of professional services and are selected by southeast Louisiana’s top STEM businesses for an eight-week paid internship.
“At the GNO Innovation Internship Program, our interns are far from mere coffee runners,” said Barnes. “Our host companies offer them valuable, hands-on experiences that significantly enhance their resumes and make them highly marketable in the job market post-graduation.”
Kylan D. Steele is one of them. His hands-on experience as a medical intern at Cornerstone Chemical Company was instrumental in his decision to pursue a career as a physician.
“I worked under the guidance of several nurses and physicians’ assistants, performing tasks like charting patient information, running physical wellness exams, and performing EKG tests,” Steele said. “This internship was vital to solidifying my drive to become a physician and allowed me ample opportunities to experience various aspects of medicine, inevitably assisting me in earning an acceptance to medical school.”
The GNO Innovation Internship Program (GIIP) started out with twelve interns and more than doubled in its second year. To date there have been 58 interns in the program.
Benefits to Host Businesses
Business and industry are growing in southeast Louisiana and they want highly-skilled and well-educated workers. The GIIP helps host businesses find talent, funds the internships, helps host businesses diversify, and potentially injects new insights into the way they do business.
Kris Khalil, Executive Director of the New Orleans BioInnovation Center (NOBIC) said, “We have been proud participants in the HBCU Innovation Internship program since its inception, and we have had the privilege of working with three outstanding interns. These interns have not only made a significant impact on our organization but have also contributed to the broader biotech startup community in New Orleans.”
Host businesses represent a large and varied cross-section of the region’s economy so the impact of the GIIP is significant. Host businesses include large companies like Ochsner Health, biotechnology companies like NOBIC and Obatala Sciences, construction companies, including two woman-owned firms in Gibbs Construction and Landis Construction, niche businesses like Swaybox Studios which brings the magic of innovative puppetry to the big screen, and Urban Systems, Inc., a woman owned civil engineering firm, servicing the marine transportation industry.
The GIIP started with a small cohort of interns working at companies like Lucid Software and Levelset, and now, as the program’s third year commences, twenty-three companies are hosting. So far, 40 percent of the internships have been extended, paid for by host companies, and this percentage is expected to grow.
“Their contributions have been invaluable in helping startups navigate complex market landscapes and identify growth opportunities,” Khalil said. NOBIC has extended internships for all their interns and has already offered a permanent position to one.
Benefits to Interns
Besides getting paid to work in rewarding jobs at cutting-edge companies, GIIP interns also receive professional assistance like interview preparation and advice on resume writing.
“These students entered college during COVID, and while they are career-ready, we provide a great opportunity to further develop their soft skills,” said Barnes. “Through selected business partnerships, they receive holistic exposure to professional development, ensuring they are well-rounded and prepared for their future careers.”
Briana Smith, one of the GIIP interns majoring in Civil Engineering at Southern University and A&M College, worked at Landis Construction in the first year of the program and Woodward Design+Build in the second. “My interpersonal skills have been enhanced because I started off as quiet and very soft spoken but now I am finding my voice and opening up more,” Smith said. “I’m proud to have been given this opportunity.”
GNOrocs partners with local businesses to prepare interns for employment. Maroon, Inc. provides a “Transitioning from the Classroom to the Workplace” course covering things like corporate structure while Youth Force NOLA leads them through the interview process. The Lab by Techplug powered by Healthy Blue provides training in entrepreneurial and start-up concepts.
Extending GIIP and the Black Engineering Collection of New Orleans
Innovation Internship Program has been so successful that the demand for GIIP interns exceeds the program’s resources. “Significant investments have been made in creating an extensive, holistic internship experience,” Barnes said. “We’ve been deliberate in focused on the whole individual through professional development within several prominent local companies.”
This is where the Black Engineering Collection of New Orleans (BECNO) breaks new ground. It expands the GIIP concept to people in under-represented groups enrolled in colleges and universities that are not HBCUs.
The University of New Orleans (UNO) and Southeastern did not raise any additional money, but we can say that GNOrocs raised an additional funding (remove specific of $25,000) to support the BECNO track of programming in response to increased demand for engineering majors in the region.
WIN-WIN-WIN SCENARIO
The success of GNOrocs’ approach is showing up in the data. According to the global labor market analytics specialist, Lightcast, New Orleans is now ranked number four in the country for the number of African Americans working in tech.
The GNO Innovation Internship Program is a success story for both students and local businesses. “Interns apply classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios while contributing to the growth and innovation of host companies,” Barnes said.
It helps keep diverse, “home-grown” STEM talent in the region thereby contributing to the vitality of their families, our local communities, and the broader regional economy.
