Every bridge, medical device, and cybersecurity protocol relies on standards — and the engineers, technologists, and policy professionals who shape them are in growing demand. Yet standards work remains largely invisible in classrooms and early-career pipelines, leaving a generation of talent unaware of a field where their skills are urgently needed.
ANSI and its members are working to close that gap. Through scholarships, competitions, curriculum development, and hands-on training, the standards community is giving students and emerging professionals direct exposure to the discipline — and a running start in careers that will define the next wave of innovation. Recent examples include:
- 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc. has launched a collegiate competition challenging interdisciplinary student teams to develop hygienic design solutions for a real food safety problem: removing dry powder residue from packaging systems without introducing moisture. The competition gives students hands-on exposure to industry standards early in their careers, with winners sharing in $10,000 in prize money.
- The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Environmental Management Youth Leadership Group addresses the lack of youth voices in international standardization. Participants build skills in applying ISO standards and navigating decisions that span technical, financial, and policy dimensions, while amplifying their perspectives through thought leadership on ISO’s LinkedIn page.
- ASTM International’s rolling Emerging Professionals Program offers new members leadership training, professional development workshops, mentored participation in technical committee meetings, and financial support for related travel. ASTM also recognizes exceptional young professionals through its Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence Young Professional Awards.
- SAE International recently hosted an A World In Motion® (AWIM®) JetToy Competition. Students competed in events focused on time, distance, and accuracy using balloon-powered JetToy vehicles designed and tested through the AWIM JetToy classroom challenge—introducing them to the STEM foundations that underpin the standards world.
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) funds undergraduate and graduate curriculum development through its Curricula Development Cooperative Agreement Program, helping faculty integrate documentary standards and standardization content into seminars, modules, and courses.
ANSI continues to advance standards education through its 2025/2026 Student Paper Competition, an annual initiative that invites high school and college students to explore how invisible standards shape modern life. Prizes reach up to $1,500, and entries are due June 5, 2026. Additional resources on the role of standards are available on ANSI’s Standards Boost Business webpage, along with training courses and webinars, and next generation resources that support learners at every stage.
Share Your Next Generation Initiatives
These are just a few of the initiatives underway across ANSI and its members. Visit ansi.org for a broader view of next-generation programs, and share your own at [email protected] — we’d like to feature them in future coverage.
