Coding is a vital component of tech education, but it won't be enough to sustain the next generation of workers. With a rapidly evolving tech world, employees will require continuous training in basic digital skills, according to Sundar Pichai. The Googlechief executive explains in an opinion piece published Thursday by NBC News THINK that the notion of getting a traditional education that will provide a lifetime of job skills is a remnant of yesteryear.

When Americans are asked why more students don't pursue a degree in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM), they are most likely to point to the difficulty of these subjects, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. About half of adults (52%) say the main reason young people don't pursue STEM degrees is they think these subjects are too hard. Policymakers and educators have long puzzled over why more students do not pursue STEM majors in college, even though those who have an undergraduate degree in a STEM field of study earn more than those with other college majors - regardless of whether they work in a STEM job or a different occupation. Yet only a third of workers (33%) ages 25 and older with at least a bachelor's degree have an undergraduate degree in a STEM field, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis.

The 38th National Future of Education Technology Conference is organized between 23 Jan and 26 Jan 2018. The 38th National Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC 2018) will take place at Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida USA. It is going to be a trendsetter Conference, outstanding as one of the most cutting-edge meetings within the Education, Learning, Teaching, Education Technology and Digital Education aspects.

As women remain underrepresented in fields of STEM, how do we begin to close the gender gap and inspire the next generation of female innovators and leaders? At a time when technology continues to rapidly transform the way we live, we can and should work to empower more young women to take an active role in that transformation. In that spirit, Forbes partnered with Audi of America in 2017 to launch the inaugural ''Idea Incubator,'' a program dedicated to inspiring future generations of female STEM leaders while also bringing together emerging talent to ideate around solving for real-world challenges through a STEM lens. Students from the New York University Tandon School of Engineering were tasked with developing solutions to a critical issue facing women and girls today - access to reliable, safe and affordable transportation. The winning team of students was presented with the first ''Audi Drive Progress Grant,'' a $50,000 scholarship to propel their studies.

The demand for new thinking skills to serve the new knowledge based economy has become critical, and while K-12 and some universities are looking at what teachers teach and how students learn to assess their readiness, the education system is still too far behind for most high-tech companies. For many years, H-1B visas, allowing corporations to seek the best and brightest from around the world, outsourcing and off-shoring alleviated the problem of getting the workers companies needed. But time is not on their side. In the wake of globalization and the spread of technology, the demand has gotten more acute. Now, with the sophistication of artificial intelligence and robotics, the need for creative and innovative employees has dramatically heightened. Indeed, a recent study by Oxford Research reported in the MIT Technology Review, we are witnessing ''Tectonic Shifts in Employment (where) information technology is reducing the need for certain jobs faster than new ones are being created.'' They found that ''nearly half of all jobs are vulnerable to machines - to applications using information technology.''

Teaching computer science in K-12 schools - and even making it a curriculum requirement - is not just a lofty idea anymore. Schools around the country really began to embrace computer science in 2017, with a number of states moving forward with legislation to make it a mandatory subject. Advocates who have long been fighting for change said the hard work is finally paying off, and more achievements are ahead in 2018. Read the highlights from several states' efforts in 2017 to fold computer science into the curriculum.

In the wake of the - MeToo movement, more women are coming forward with their stories of workplace harassment and inequality, and more men are hearing them. In the tech industry, where a significant disparity exists between men and women and a conversation about these problems has been happening for years already, male allies have begun to make a small dent in the imbalance. Below are the best practices for men who want to become allies to women in the tech industry and beyond.

Even though 53 percent of employees say a role that allows them to have greater work-life balance and better personal well-being is ''very important'' to them (Gallup's State of the American Workplace 2017), fostering networking built on real-life connections is often forgotten. But networking is so important, and it's often even more important for women, who sometimes lack genuine support in their industries and tend to prioritize roles at home over maintaining female connections. Connections with other women to help one another through real issues, and promote genuine, lasting relationships in business and in life. While some companies are making strides in creating professional female-focused groups, particularly in the technology sector, many times women can forget that remaining connected with women on many different career levels and in different industries can lead to growth and new opportunities.

The gender gap in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is a known and stubborn quandary: While women make up roughly half of the college-educated U.S. workforce, they account for less than 30% of STEM jobs. To fix that, the Girl Scouts hopes to prepare at least 2.5 million girls for potential STEM-related jobs by 2025. That mission includes a new awareness campaign, followed by the expansion of an elementary-school effort called ''Think Like a Programmer'' to keep girls interested in science and tech as they move on to middle school and high school. The awareness component has a simple message: Women may be underrepresented in science and tech, but they've already made huge impacts. To highlight that, the Girl Scouts created a video in which five of its current members transform into five current and historical STEM icons. They began sharing photos of the transformation in honor of Computer Science Education Week in early December.

House members approved three bills that would support individuals who aim to pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, Nextgov reported Friday. The STEM Research and Education Effectiveness and Transparency Act would require the National Science Foundation to inform Congress about its efforts to encourage women and historically underrepresented groups to engage in government research and education programs. The Women in Aerospace Education Act seeks to boost the participation of women in fellowship programs at NASA and national laboratories. The Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act would give veterans more opportunities to pursue STEM-related jobs. All three bills were approved as part of Congress' ''Science Day'' and sent to the Senate's commerce, science and transportation committee for review.