STEP - About Us

The Science and Technology Education Partnership (STEP) was established to bridge the skills gap between our K-12 students and high-technology industry needs. STEP produces its flagship science and technology education event every year, the STEP Conference. The first of its kind in the region, this conference serves to ignite the imagination of thousands of students, so that they might pursue promising careers in high-technology fields. It also provides hands-on training to hundreds of K-12 teachers, ensuring they have the latest tools to keep our students competitive in the global marketplace. Through the assistance of STEP and support from our industry and academic partners, I envision our community evolving into a high-technology educational center and economic incubator, whose work force is educated, employed, and lives in the region. I believe that STEP's goals are rooted in an age-old saying, "Knowledge is power," and what better place to get that knowledge than from each other. Working together -- Students, teachers, school administrators, community and business leaders, and high technology companies -- we can see to it that California's youth reach for the stars and beyond. As we do this, I am confident STEP will be instrumental in ensuring that California's technology workers of tomorrow will be homegrown in Southern California.