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The TETC Mission:
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The Problem Technology companies are aggressively searching for highly skilled workers – but from a limited pool of applicants. In 1987, the number of graduates from U.S. universities with bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering peaked at 25,000. By 1998, the number of graduating electrical engineers had fallen 50 percent. At the same time, in 1998 less than 20 percent of U.S. engineering degrees went to women. In 1998, just over six percent of engineering graduates were Hispanic and only five percent were African-American. The industry has responded by spending millions of dollars on education programs in the United States and implementing an aggressive global recruitment effort. It is estimated that many technology companies spend more than 45 percent of their human resource budgets on recruiting skilled workers. And now in a collaborative effort, companies are aggressively taking steps to address the severe shortage in Texas. |
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The Alliance Opportunity
Recognizing the impact of technology on the economy, Governor Rick Perry and legislative leaders joined with the Technology Education Coalition to pass Senate Bill 353, creating the Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium Grant Program. Texas committed up to $5 million annually to match education contributions raised from the technology industry and other private sector sources -- for a total of up to $10 million for approved engineering and computer science education programs in Texas colleges and universities. There are currently 9 member companies and 33 colleges and universities that are improving the workforce in Texas through TETC. |
