Congresswoman Suzan DelBene and state Reps. Drew Hansen and Chad Magendanz joined leaders from the business, nonprofit and education communities on Monday in calling for solutions and policy changes at the state and federal levels to address the shortage in computer science talent in Washington’s economy.
“Developing a more robust computer science workforce is key to the economic vitality of Washington state, which is home to some of the most innovative technology companies in the world,” DelBene said at a Computer Science Roundtable hosted by Washington STEM at the Woodmark Hotel in Kirkland. “Making computer science education policies a priority at the state and federal levels will help ensure our students are prepared to compete for the technology jobs of tomorrow.”
A sampling of the promising solutions that were proposed to address the computer science talent shortage in Washington state are as follows:
• Develop partnerships with businesses, nonprofits and community groups to expand computer science opportunities beginning in early education through higher education.
• Provide engaging computer science opportunities to underrepresented minorities and young women.
• Increase computer science professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers, so they are prepared to teach students computer science. • Expand computer science degree production, particularly among underrepresented minorities and women, to meet the talent demands of employers.
One promising solution discussed was House Bill 1472, which passed the Legislature with nearly unanimous support last year to count AP computer science as a math or science credit. House Bill 1472 was sponsored by Hansen, Magendanz, Rep. Cyrus Habib and Rep. Roger Freeman. By granting the course academic credit, the bill aims to encourage more students to take the course and many more schools to offer it. Prior to House Bill 1472 being signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee, only 35 of the state’s 622 high schools offered AP computer science. Almost one year after the law passed 45 high schools offer AP computer science.
“A high-quality STEM education that includes computer science means more career opportunities for Washington state’s students,” said Patrick D’Amelio, chief executive officer of Washington STEM. “Washington STEM is committed to engaging and working with policy, business, nonprofit, and education communities across the state to make the promising solutions discussed today a reality for our students.”
According to Code.org, a nonprofit dedicated to growing K-12 computer science education in America, there are 19,058 open computing jobs in Washington and this number is growing at three times the state average. Despite the high demand of computing jobs, Washington state only produces 794 computer science graduates.
Huawei Enterprise USA sponsored the event.
“As a global technology company, Huawei is committed to assisting the communities in which we operate to bridge the gap between employment opportunities and STEM skills and education,” said Jane Li, chief operating officer of Huawei Enterprise USA, which has an office in Washington state. “We are proud to join Washington educators and policymakers in seeking ways to better prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s computer science careers.”
