By Randi Parker

With the unemployment rate still high and hundreds of thousands of IT jobs available, Congress should focus on improving the quality of and access to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education in the K-12 range.

This term a total of 33 bills were introduced into Congress that focused on STEM education, and not a single one saw any floor action. While its a step in the right direction to be introducing a series of bills on this topic, Congress must fight for action to be taken on them. The United States is currently ranked 31^st in math and 23^rd in science among developed countries STEM legislation will help us raise those standings.

If the promise of improving our global position isnt enough, the dialogue around STEM education should be connected to career and technology education. To date, the STEM conversation tends to focus on the need for the U.S. to produce more advanced STEM degree graduates. Without a doubt, this is true and of importance. However, there is more to the conversation.

A STEM foundation in K-12 can produce graduates from technical and community colleges that are trained, certified and ready to enter the IT workforce. Despite the high unemployment rate in the U.S. there are, on average, about 300,000 IT jobs that are currently available. The problem is that there just are not enough skilled workers to fill this demand.

What can we do to move the pendulum from conversation to action in the 113^th Congress? CompTIA will continue to advocate for STEM education and its benefits to the IT workforce and American economy. CompTIA supports strong public-private partnerships that advance STEM education and seek real, measureable growth in the achievement of STEM fluency of our nations young people.

You can join in as well when you register to participate in the TechVoice D.C. Fly-In for February 12-13, 2013, on Capitol Hill. Participants get the opportunity to attend a planning dinner and then meet face-to-face with Congressional members to let them know what issues affect their businesses. If youre interested in participating in the TechVoice D.C. Fly-In, please contact Matthew Evans, manager of public advocacy for CompTIA, at [email protected], for more information.

Randi Parker is director of public advocacy for CompTIA.