Our next installment of fall ’22 ACT | The App Association member company priorities spotlights an issue that is near and dear to the hearts of app companies: workforce development. In fact, some of our member companies, like CAVU, are blazing trails in their efforts to help aspiring developers make their own way through scalable agile technology. With more than half a million developer and computing jobs open in the United States, App Association members are taking the matter into their own hands. However, they also need federal policy updates that would better position American workers for the jobs of the future.

Below, we have outlined a couple of opportunities for Congress to act on this fall that can connect App Association members with the robust, diverse wellspring of tomorrow’s best and brightest here in the United States:

  • Pass the Computer Science for All Act (H.R. 3062, 117th).
    • The global pandemic presented new challenges for school districts across the nation, resulting in performance setbacks overall for students in a variety of subjects, especially math. Meanwhile, as hundreds of thousands of computing jobs go unfilled, the gap is only set to widen. The Computer Science for All Act would help reduce the gap between entry-level workers prepared for computing jobs and open positions by requiring the United States Department of Education to make grant funds available to school districts for a variety of activities with the end goal of making rigorous computer science courses available for all of their students.

We urge Congress to enact legislation like the Computer Science for All Act to provide more resources for urgently needed computer science training at the K-12 level.

  • Support science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) Master Teacher Corps (MTC) programs.
    • Our schools’ failure to provide computer science courses is rooted in part in a lack of training and professional development for teachers to attain an advanced formal education in teaching computer science. Congress must adequately resource the STEM MTC program to prepare our kids for the jobs of the future and maintain our position as the global leader in tech-driven industries.

We urge Congress to allocate a minimum of $250 million to the STEM MTC program.

  • Support workforce training programs like Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
    • As internet connectivity and software continue to drive changes in virtually all industries, Americans are experiencing rapid changes concerning where and how they work. Federal WIOA grants supplement state efforts to connect employer needs with labor needs, with a focus on upskilling for the jobs of the future. Unfortunately, WIOA’s authorizing statute expires at the end of this year.

We urge Congress to reauthorize WIOA to ensure the law’s programs continue in effect with appropriate accountability measures and a strong emphasis on coding and related jobs available now in the local app economies across the country.

Although Congress only has a few legislative days left, these goals are achievable over the next several weeks before the end of the 117th Congress. Workforce development is an especially important priority for Congress heading into the 2023 state legislative sessions. States are the primary government branches responsible for workforce training and education, and Congress’ action on these items would set a strong foundation for state legislatures and executive branches to build and maintain programs that fuel growth and prosperity in the app ecosystem.

Access our letter addressing all priorities here.