Why is education important to AeA and its members?
Your company's future success, and that of the high-tech industry as a whole, is directly dependent on the quality of education. Because your company depends on educated workers for its continued success, improving education is a top priority for AeA. AeA is active in supporting legislation that will improve the quality of education, especially in the areas of math and science. The key reasons member companies and AeA support improvements to education are to: 
 

• Remain competitive in the global economy - AeA member companies must be able to employ the best and brightest workforce in order to compete in the international marketplace.
• Build student skills for a strong workforce - Statistics indicate that our nation’s education system has fallen short in preparing students for the challenges of the global economy.
• Grow a large employee base for future expansion - Improving our nation’s education system is the long-term solution to the continuing shortage of highly educated workers. 

The AeA State Government Affairs Information Network allows AeA members to easily obtain information regarding state government affairs activities that impact their companies. It covers legislative activity in states where AeA lobbies and allows members to:

• Obtain and share intelligence

• Use reports as-is to share with their executives

• Demonstrate the value of state government affairs within their companies

The AeA Southeast Council's Brings Students participating in FIRST Robotics to the Capital on it's Annual Lobby Day

February 13, 2008:  For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology or FIRST and its FIRST Robotics teams are supported by the AeA Southeast Council to encourage middle and high schoolers to get interested in math and science, thus stay in school, go to college, and become our tech workforce of tomorrow. This dove tails into AeA's Competitiveness Initiatives. They receive robotics kits, mentoring, coaching etc to build robots and compete in competitions. This was one of the high school teams sponsored by AeA member. We evangelize FIRST and our members' teams by inviting them to our events.

AeA's Southeast Council and several members support and participate in FIRST, mentoring the students, sponsoring robotics kits, and judging plus attending the Robotics competitions.  Executives involved in February 13 event include:

• Paul Domorski, CEO, EMS Technologies and a member of AeA's Board of Directors Member

• Perry Tanner, Executive Vice President, Applied Systems Intelligence

• Norm Geddes, CEO, and other members .

AeA is setting up a FIRST Fund for members who wish to support the 'cause' but cannot afford the minimum kit sponsorship to pool monies and AeA can sponsor a kit on everyone's behalf.  For more information on this effort, please contact Lesley Dubin,, Director of Membership Development, AeA Southeast Council, at 678.352.9469.

Norcross High School (Gwinnett County Public Schools) students of the FIRST Robotics team "Gear Devils," made up of 30 students from grades 9-12 present their robots to Georgia state legislators at the 2008 AeA High Tech Day at the Capital Reception.  Approximately  75% of team alumni are pursuing or have earned a degree in engineering or a related technology field.

AeA Hosts a Technology Tutorial on Semiconductors for U.S. Congressional Staff and the Press
December 14, 2007:  AeA hosted its inaugural Technology Tutorial to educate U.S. Congressional staff and the press on how technology works at the association's Washington, DC, office.  Speakers included Bob Doering, Senior Fellow, Texas Instruments, and Mark Bohr, Senior Fellow, Intel.

Students and Former Astronauts Stress the Need for Continued Government R&D Funding of Innovation
November 8, 2007:  The Task Force on the Future of American Innovation, a coalition of scientific, business, and university organizations that AeA Co-Chairs with the Intel Corporation,  has named Adan Vielma, a senior communications major at Lewis & Clark College, as the winner of its 2007 National Innovation Video Contest.

Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL), the co-chairs of the R&D Caucus, also spoke at the event which focused on asking Congress to reignite the investment spark of 50 years ago, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, to today's threat of increased global competition.

Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL) and Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), Co-Chairs of the Congressional R&D Caucus, Speak with Students (L-R)

Winning students from Lewis & Clark College and the University of Delaware with former NASA astronauts Mae Jemison and Kathryn Sullivan

AeA Launches Tech Tutorial Series for Capitol Hill
October 19, 2007:   In a series of informal surveys and interviews, Members of Congress and their staffs have told us that they need to know more about technology and how it works. They have said that failure to understand the technology could result in unintended and harmful consequences to the high-tech industry and to the economy writ large...read more.
 

AeA Publishes a New Competitiveness Report
March 28, 2007:   Today AeA released its latest report, We Are Still Losing the Competitive Advantage: Now Is the Time To Act. The report serves as the natural sequel to the AeA report of two years ago: Losing the Competitive Advantage? That report focused on how the United States is at risk of squandering its preeminence in science, technology, and innovation as countries across the globe became more competitive and as America neglected the factors that gave it this lead. This new and expanded edition of that report reinforces the conclusion that America is losing its competitive advantage and the time to confront those issues is now....read more.
 

AeA President & CEO Testifies to House Committee on Education and Labor
February 7, 2007:  William T. Archey, President & CEO, AeA, testified to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor today.  Read the testimony or watch the webcast.  Additional witnesses included Richard L. Trumka, Secretary-Treasurer, AFL-CIO; Judy Feder, Dean, Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University; and Dr. Lynn A. Karoly, Senior Economist, RAND Corporation.

William T. Archey, President & CEO, AeA, testifying to the House Committee on Education and Labor

William T. Archey, President & CEO, AeA

Chairman George Miller (D-CA), Ranking Minority Member Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-CA)

AeA Letter to Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) Requesting Full Funding for ACI
June 6, 2006:   AeA letter to Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA), Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee, Senate Appropriations Committee, requesting full funding for the Education provisions in the President's American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI)...read more.
 

AeA President & CEO Testified to House Committee on Education/Workforce
On May 3, 2006, AeA President and CEO Bill Archey testified before the House of Representatives' Committee on Education and the Workforce at a hearing on, "Building American Competitiveness:  Examining the Scope and Success of Existing Federal Math and Science Programs."  Additional panelists included the Assistant Secretary of Education and the Director of Education, Workforce, and Income Security at the GAO...read more.

Bill Archey, President & CEO, AeA, presents data from the AeA Cyberstates 2006
report during his testimony to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce

The Honorable Tom Luce, Assistant Secretary of Education; Cornelia Ashby, U.S. Government Accountability Office; and Bill Archey, President & CEO, AeA testify on math and science education (L-R)

Chairman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-CA), Ranking Minority Member George Miller (D-CA), and other Congressional Members listen to Archey's testimony

On March 10, 2006, AeA's Midwest Council announced the new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Scholarship program with a goal of encouraging bright, young Illinois students to choose a technology career and assist in your ability to attract and retain top talent...read more.

Past AeA Activities on Eduction

AeA Member Companies' Activities on Education  

 

AeA member companies are committed to improving education at all levels. AeA members, through their foundations and with direct corporate grants, are making the necessary investments to improve education. Learn more about the high-tech industry’s efforts to improve education.

 

AeA Education Accomplishments 

• Passage of the "No Child Left Behind" Act: AeA was the leading high-tech trade association working for passage of this comprehensive K-12 education reform bill.
• Texas Legislature: AeA leadership in Texas resulted in the passage of four bills designed to improve the quality of the technology workforce. Learn more about the Texas victories.
• Math/Science Partnership: AeA led the business community efforts to increase funding for the Math/Science partnership. Learn more about AeA's activities. 

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Read AeA's Recent Report

We Are Still Losing the Competitive Advantage: Now is the Time to Act The natural sequel to AeA's groundbreaking report of two years ago, this new and expanded report offers updated data, analysis, and recommendations that reinforce the urgent need to act to maintain American competitiveness in a global economy.

 

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AeA Position Papers on Education Issues

 

• View the AeA position on K-12 Education Reform 

• View the Arizona position paper on higher education 

• View the Texas position paper on technology workers 

• View the Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium Legislative Fact Sheet 

• View Washington State’s position on Post Secondary Education 

• View Washington State’s position on K-12 Education 

AeA Education Products, Services, and Scholarships

• AeA sponsors Executive Education events to help train the future leaders of your company.

• AeA Midwest IIT STEM Scholarship Program.

• AeA Oregon Technology Scholarship Program.

Jim Craven
5285 SW Meadows Rd Ste 200
Lake Oswego, OR 97035-5299
P: 503.624.6050
F: 503.624.9354
jim_craven@aeanet.org