NextFlex Announces $5 Million Education Fundraising Effort: First Spotlight - Transforming the Landscape for Women in Technology

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NextFlex Learning Programs, the education-focused arm of the NextFlex® Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Innovation Institute, announces its first spotlight effort, “NextFlex Supports Women in STEM” to increase the number of women in STEM fields, which could accelerate U.S. GDP growth by boosting women’s cumulative earnings by $299B and adding $5.9T to the global stock market within 10 years according to S&P Global.

According to an article published on April 1, 2021 by the Pew Research Center entitled, “STEM Jobs See Uneven Progress in Increasing Gender, Racial and Ethnic Diversity,” women make up a quarter or fewer of workers in computing and engineering, and while strides have been made in related fields, men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college. NextFlex believes that it is our responsibility to create an industry where everyone – our members, customers, and partners – thrive by belonging to a community that is focused on innovation, collaboration, and growth. It is our mission to inform, inspire, attract, and recruit top talent into the manufacturing sector.

Through an ambitious $5M fundraising goal, NextFlex Learning Programs aims to galvanize under-represented talent, and we are proud to announce its first spotlight: Women in STEM Education (WISE) - Inspiring the creation of more leadership and mentorship programs for women from college to mid-career. NextFlex aims to stimulate greater gender equity in the STEM field, grow confidence of females in STEM, help women envision themselves in the STEM workforce, and support them in their early career to remain in STEM.

“At NextFlex, we strive to accelerate the growth of a skilled workforce who are excited and ready to support the advanced manufacturing sector in the U.S.,” said Rebecca Lewis, Director of Education and Workforce Development at NextFlex. “To have a lasting impact, we need to find partners aligned with this vision and who will support our passion to enable women and other under-represented talent to succeed in STEM careers.”

How to Contribute

Together, we can transform the landscape of leaders in STEM. Click here to make a gift to NextFlex Learning Programs and help us jumpstart NextFlex Supports Women in STEM.

About NextFlex

NextFlex Learning Programs is a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity with a designated mission to further the educational pursuits of the NextFlex Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Innovation Institute. Formed in 2015, the Institute is a consortium of companies, academic institutions, non-profits and state, local and federal governments with a shared goal of advancing the U.S. hybrid electronics manufacturing ecosystem, including its present and future workforce. NextFlex's elite team of thought leaders, educators, problem solvers, and manufacturers have come together to collectively facilitate innovation, narrow the manufacturing workforce gap, and promote sustainable manufacturing ecosystems. For more information, visit www.nextflex.us and follow NextFlex on LinkedIn.

About Hybrid Electronics

Hybrid Electronics give everyday products the power of silicon ICs by combining them with new and unique low-cost and environmentally friendly additive printing processes and new materials, including structural electronics and additive packaging solutions using novel materials. The result is fast time to market, lightweight, low-cost, and highly efficient smart products that can be flexible, conformable, and stretchable with innumerable uses for consumer, commercial, and military applications.