Central College’s education program is now one of eight institutions in the state of Iowa to offer STEM endorsements for students majoring in elementary education and secondary education.

The endorsements will benefit Central students seeking jobs teaching K-8 mathematics, K-8 science and middle school math and science.

According to the Iowa STEM Council, the demand for careers in STEM will increase 60% over the next 10 years.

Additionally, Central has become a pre-service partner with Project Lead the Way, which provides the ability for the education program to provide pre-service teachers with a teacher credential, resources and support for the PreK-5 Launch curriculum.

Project Lead the Way Launch training complements science and technology courses offered at Central, including the new STEM endorsement. The education program is in the process of developing new courses for these STEM endorsements. STEM endorsement programming will begin in the 2022-23 academic year.