Last year the Information Technology Association of America releases a study which estimated that there are more than 340.000 high skilled positions in the information technology field that are not filled And the Department of Labor has projected that our economy will require more than 130.000 information technology jobs in just three fieldscomputer scientists and engineers. systems analysts. and computer programmersevery year for the next decade. One of the most sobering experiences of my Senate career occurred last year when I was told point blank by the CEOs of several large California hightech companies that the United States is simply not producing a sufficient number of skilled and educated workers to fill the information technology positions that their companies need to fill if they were to be able to continue to grow and successfully compete in the international economy. To meet the needs of these companies. last year Congress had to revise the cap on HlB visas to allow foreign professional and skilled workers who had the education and skills to fill these information technology positions to come to the United States. While raising the HlB visa cap may meet the short term needs of these companies and of the economy. it is not a longterm solution to this problem. To avoid the danger of a hollowing out" the U.S. workforce we must invest more in the education and training of American workers so that they have the education and skills needed for the information technology jobs which make up the backbone of the new hightech economy. We must make sure that new workers entering the workforce have the skills they need to match with the jobs they want to be able to get.
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