Today’s education system is failing US students and causing a national shortage of qualified technology workers. Decades ago, America emerged as a global leader — we had the tech sector’s smartest and hardest working people. Today, however, we have lost much of that ground. Fortunately, educational gamification has the power to reverse this trend.
The Education System is not Preparing America’s Students
When I sit in on Department of Defense meetings, I come away terrified. A war rages in the tech sector, called the chip war, and it’s one we’re losing. The most decisive battles are fought not in the world’s boardrooms but in the world’s classrooms.
Most people don’t think about semiconductors or computer chips, but they are vital to our economy, national security, and daily lives. These miniature electronic devices control everything from traffic lights to cars, fighter jets, and cell phones.
Chips are the heart of technology, which drives innovation, productivity, and prosperity. In the technology industry, experts expect a shortage of 1.4 million US workers by 2030. In the semiconductor industry specifically, experts predict a shortage of 67,000 workers. By contrast, China’s education system is turning out plenty of trained workers.
The federal government recently invested $52 billion into the semiconductor industry. One of the potential recipients is Mike Ward, CEO of LA Semiconductor, the only 100 percent USA-owned chip manufacturing company in the world. As the potential recipient of approximately half a billion dollars in government funding, he plans to invest about 10 percent of it in gamified workforce development, starting in kindergarten through 6th grade.
