Addressing America's Shortage of Engineers

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, April 22, 2002

Will America be the leader in technological innovation in the 21st Century? Or will we be left scrambling to keep pace with the rest of the world?

Engineers are the backbone of the technology revolution. They design our bridges and highways, develop our software and computers, and they found the way to put a man on the moon. But America is not turning out enough engineers to fuel the economic engine of our country.

In 2000, America produced 62,500 bachelor's level engineers and 10,500 computer science graduates. But to meet demand, American industry had to recruit 115,000 engineers from abroad.

To compete in the global economy, we must maintain our innovative edge. Only 5 percent of American college students will receive engineering degrees. Compare that with 25 percent of Russian and 46 percent of Chinese graduates, and the growing disparity comes into focus.

Why are we behind and what can we do? We have failed to reach our students at an early age - before they enter high school - and show them the opportunities an engineering degree can offer.

Today, only 15 percent of our nation's high school graduates have the requisite math and science courses to qualify for an engineering program. And if they do qualify and enroll, only 40 percent of them will actually finish and graduate with an engineering degree.

Lockheed Martin provides a good example of the problem. When Lockheed won the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) contract last fall, we knew it would bring quality job opportunities to the Metroplex. As Lockheed ramps up for production of the JSF at the Fort Worth plant, they plan to hire 30 to 50 engineers a week for the next two years to fully staff the project.

The reality, however, is that we don't have the talent locally to meet Lockheed's needs. They could hire every engineering student Texas universities graduate this spring, and still not have their quota of engineers. Companies like Lockheed will have to continue to look outside our borders to complete their workforce.

Fortunately, our Texas academic and corporate communities are working together to address this shortage. Texas Instruments, which helped found the University of Texas at Dallas in the 1960s, recently teamed up with Southern Methodist University to bring engineering education into our middle schools and high schools. SMU came to me last year with the idea for an Institute for Engineering Education. The Institute will create programs to collaborate with schools, develop curriculum, and help equip students with the training and information they need to successfully pursue an engineering degree. I helped them win a federal grant to begin the Institute because I think the project will benefit our young people, our economy and our future. UTD is also playing a large role in meeting the need for engineers in North Texas. The Jonsson School at UTD is the fastest-growing school of engineering and computer science in the nation. They regularly host community events to recruit and educate Texas youth and their families about engineering careers. The University of Texas at Arlington and Texas Christian University have strong programs, and last week the University of North Texas regents voted to create an engineering college.

As we develop outreach programs and recruit more engineering students, we must also address the under-representation of women and minorities in this field. Fewer than one out of 100 female high school graduates and five out of 1,000 Hispanic and African American graduates will obtain an engineering degree. These statistics are troubling, but can be corrected. UTD recently collaborated with the Dallas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering to bring 450 minority students to the campus for a "Day of Engineering." Through programs like this, that emphasize math, science and technology training in our classrooms, we will encourage our children - all of our children - to consider a career as an engineer.

America will continue to lead the world in technological innovation in the 21st Century if we act now to meet our country's demand for talented engineers.

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