On September 29, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation held a hearing on new investments from the CHIPS and Science Act, particularly in the fields of autonomous technology and artificial intelligence. Witnesses from across the academic and business spectrum were present, and workforce development was a key topic of the hearing.
In his opening statement, Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) noted the importance of developing a skilled workforce to fill positions created by these new investments.
Dr. Nancy Albritton of the University of Washington urged lawmakers to continue federal support of the CHIPS and Science Act initiatives. “Sustained federal investment in these programs are essential for our ‘one nation’ to remain a leader in a fierce global landscape, to leverage opportunities for collaboration between government, academic, and business sectors, and to build a workforce that reflects the rich diversity of our nation.”
Each of the witnesses present expressed the opinion that building the technology workforce must be a top priority.
Steven Lupien of the University of Wyoming Center for Blockchain and Digital Innovation noted his institution’s efforts to introduce students to STEM career options. “We have a secondary goal of introducing girls and women to these opportunities as they are presently underrepresented in the workforce. I encourage you to look at how programs such as these can be made available nationwide.”
Dr. Bob Sutor, Vice President of ColdQuanta, Inc. added that those with advanced degrees will not be the only workers needed to fill new jobs. “Just as today, we will need trained workers in manufacturing, IT and software and hardware engineering. There will be many new jobs and types of jobs, and we must have a trained workforce to fill them.”
You can watch the full hearing here.
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