Virginia schools agree to boost tech talent pipeline

Published November 7, 2019 by Robert Powell, III

Gov. Ralph Northam has signed an agreement with 11 universities that is designed to boost the commonwealth’s tech talent pipeline.

The goal of the Tech Talent Investment Program is to confer 31,000 more bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science and related fields during the next 20 years.

The plan grew out of Virginia’s proposal to Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc., which is creating its second headquarters in Arlington.

Funding for the program was provided in the Virginia budget approved earlier this year, the governor’s office said.

In a statement, Northam said the project represents “an investment in Virginians.”

“Virginia’s tech sector will continue booming only if we can train the workforce those jobs require,” he said. “With today’s announcement, we are educating a workforce that will fill jobs at hundreds of tech companies around the commonwealth, including at Amazon, helping boost our economy and quality of life in every corner of Virginia.”

The following is a list of 11 schools participating in the program, with the number of degrees in tech fields above their current baselines the schools are committed to produce:

• Virginia Tech: 5,911 bachelor’s degrees and 10,324 master’s degrees.
• George Mason University: 2,277 bachelor’s and 5,328 master’s degrees.
• University of Virginia: 3,416 bachelor’s degrees.
• College of William & Mary: 930 bachelor’s degrees.
• Old Dominion University: 765 bachelor’s degrees.
• Virginia Commonwealth University: 722 bachelor’s degrees.
• James Madison University: 467 bachelor’s degrees.
• Radford University: 394 bachelor’s degrees.
• Christopher Newport University: 392 bachelor’s degrees.
• Virginia State University: 186 bachelor’s degrees.
• Norfolk State University: 126 bachelor’s degrees.