The recent American Electronics Association (AEA) Cyber Series reports, Cyberstates, Cybernation, and CyberEducation, demonstrate the importance of the high technology industry to the U.S., State and local economy. High tech jobs pay significantly more than other jobs, and more high tech jobs have been created in the last decade than jobs in other sectors of the economy.

Texas has benefited from the high tech growth. In fact, Texas is the second largest technology state in the U.S. Texas led the nation in technology job growth during the nineties with a 37% increase between 1990 and 1997 and Texas’ growing technology workforce has an average annual salary of $60,265, 80% higher than other private sector employees.

High technology business is flourishing in Texas. Yet, there are challenges that threaten Texas’ standing as a location for thriving high tech businesses. Virtually all technology businesses are experiencing a lack of qualified workers. The Governor’s Science and Technology Council commissioned the Bush School at Texas A&M to do a high tech job shortage survey in late 1999 as a follow up to their 1997 survey. The survey of 400 companies found slightly fewer overall high tech vacancies than in 1997, but still 41% of the firms had vacancies. The responses indicated a Bachelors degree was required for 54% of the positions. The responses ranked engineers as the "most-needed-to-fill" positions, 28% in 1997 and 30% in 1999. The number of engineering graduates from Texas public universities has been almost flat over the last decade - approximately 3000 annually. To meet the immediate need, the U.S. grants 115,000 visas annually to non-US citizens.

The low number of Texas high school graduates qualified to enter university engineering programs exacerbates the engineering shortage. Although the number of graduates from Texas public secondary schools is growing, only 41% of high school graduates complete the TEA Recommended Curriculum that contains the minimum math and science courses necessary for technology careers. Fewer graduates, perhaps as few as 5% of high school graduates, complete calculus, chemistry, and physics courses preparing them for a university engineering education.

Texas has great universities, excellent community and technical colleges, and constantly improving public schools. But the "high tech education pipeline" is not flowing with adequate volume. This is also the case with the teaching profession. Texas faces an immediate shortage of math and science teachers.

AEA-Texas recommends the Texas Legislature consider the following:

• Establish a statewide goal of doubling the number of electrical engineering and computer science graduates from Texas public colleges and universities, with particular emphasis on encouraging university and private sector collaboration, providing incentives for private investment in public university engineering programs, and increasing state funding for collaborative efforts that align higher education with Texas’ economic development objectives.

• Design and implement programs to improve K-12 student performance in math and science.

• Increase funding by $30 million for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs in English, Calculus, Physics, and Chemistry including teacher training, teacher stipends, and lab equipment.

• Support legislation that makes the TEA Recommended Curriculum the default curriculum (meaning students must opt out rather than in) for every schoolchild in Texas, with the goal of having 75% of Texas high school students completing the Recommended Curriculum by 2010.

• Establish a professional development initiative to provide teachers with the skills to effectively integrate computer technology into existing curricula to enhance student learning

• Develop partnerships between community colleges, four-year institutions of higher education, and the high-tech industry that will increase the number of graduates in engineering and technology-related fields