On the Dash:
- GM has invested over $110 million since 2021 to advance STEAM education, including significant funding for early-career and training programs.
- These efforts have reached over 1 million students, introducing them to potential careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math.
- GM’s ongoing workforce development supports both current employees and the broader U.S. talent pool as the auto industry becomes increasingly technology-driven.
General Motors marked National STEM (and STEAM) Day on November 8 by reaffirming its commitment to education and workforce development and emphasizing the growing need for expertise in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math across the automotive industry.
With STEM jobs projected to grow four times faster than non-STEM roles, GM says investing in STEAM education is vital to addressing the skilled trades shortage and maintaining U.S. leadership in advanced manufacturing, electrification, and innovation.
Since 2021, GM has provided more than $110 million to programs that expand access to technology education in secondary schools, trade schools, community colleges, and universities. Of that total, nearly $44 million has supported early-career exposure, while $25 million has gone toward career-training programs, aiming to build a robust pipeline of homegrown talent.
GM’s commitment to advancing engineering and science education dates back over a century. In 1923, the company acquired the School of Automobile Trades, which later became the General Motors Institute and is now Kettering University. GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra is among its alumni.
GM continues to invest in its current workforce through its Technical Learning University (TLU), which upskills more than 2,500 employees annually in advanced manufacturing, electrification, and emerging technology.
GM’s technical teams have a long record of innovation, including developing the first automatic transmission, electric starter, and mass-produced electric vehicle. The company also pioneered airbags, anti-lock brakes, catalytic converters, and crash-test dummies. Today, GM remains among the top 50 companies globally in the number of patents awarded and continues its work in autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, and software-defined vehicles.
Education initiatives have reached hundreds of thousands of students nationwide. In 2025 alone, GM and its nonprofit partners exposed more than 300,000 students to STEAM careers. Last year, grants enabled more than 6,000 participants to enroll in career training programs and 463,000 students to take part in career exploration activities. Nearly 1 million students have been introduced to potential STEAM career paths through GM-supported programs.
Collaborations include partnerships with First Book, providing reading materials to K-12 students through the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Summer Brain Gain program, and funding the EmployED program, aligning community colleges with advanced manufacturing industry needs.
To mark this year’s National STEM Day, GM employees lead robotics competitions, high school career panels, and science workshops across Detroit, helping students explore technology careers amid declining national test scores in science, math, and reading since 2021.
GM’s focus on education and technical training underscores a long-term strategy to ensure the next generation of engineers, designers, and innovators are prepared to drive the industry forward.
