Raj Batra, president of Siemens Digital Factory, U.S., has been elected to the Siemens Foundation Board of Directors. Batra’s passion toward narrowing the opportunity gap for the next generation of workers in STEM careers aligns strongly with the Siemens Foundation mission to ignite and sustain today’s STEM workforce and tomorrow’s scientists and engineers.
“I am honored to serve as a board member of this vital Foundation,” said Raj Batra, president of Siemens Digital Factory, Siemens USA. “Manufacturing is going through a revitalization and it is critical for us to encourage youth to pursue STEM careers and to work with community colleges and universities to develop programs for the next generation of engineers, scientists, and technicians.”
Digitalization and the Internet of Things is rapidly changing the industrial landscape, including the workforce. Jobs in STEM fields are projected to grow at almost double the rate of non-STEM occupations. The challenge for employers is finding the right talent to fill those positions. According to the U.S. Department of Education, only 16 percent of American high school seniors are proficient in math and even interested in STEM. The Siemens Foundation helps close the gap between available STEM jobs and the number of applicants with the right skills to fill them primarily by developing programs to interest students in middle-skill STEM careers.
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“We are thrilled to have Raj join the board of the Siemens Foundation,” said David Etzwiler, CEO of the Siemens Foundation. “Raj is passionate about encouraging youth to pursue STEM and inspiring them to consider manufacturing. Raj recognizes the need to close the skills gap and to train the next generation to meet the needs of our rapidly transforming economy.”
Batra began his career at Siemens 25 years ago and has held a variety of high-level management, strategy and sales positions including VP, General Manager, Global Corporate Account Executive, Director and founding member of the Automotive and Aerospace Vertical Market organizations. Batra currently is president of the Digital Factory (DF) Division for Siemens USA. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing all development, marketing, sales, R&D, vertical industry and manufacturing aspects for DF in the United States.
In addition, Batra serves on the Executive Advisory Boards of The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI). He is a Member of the Board of Directors of PI-North America and recently joined the Board of Directors for MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ: MKSI), a global provider of technologies that enable advanced processes and improve productivity for companies in the semiconductor, industrial technologies, life and health sciences and research and defense markets. Batra earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Lawrence Technological University in Michigan and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Michigan.
The Siemens Foundation has invested more than $115 million in the United States to advance workforce development and education initiatives in science, technology, engineering and math. For further information, visit http://www.siemens-foundation.org/.