Representatives In The House Inspire Future Tech Talent Workers For DC Area Startups and Amazon HQ2
Amazon received a lot of attention for picking the Washington DC Metro Area as its second headquarters – or HQ2. And they aren’t the only ones. More and more tech companies are following Amazon’s lead and setting up shop around the District of Columbia. Together with Amazon, these companies will need a lot of talented tech workers with skills of the future.
Fortunately for Amazon and the rest, nearly every Representative covering Amazon’s HQ2 geographic footprint is committed to cultivating a local pipeline of tech talent by hosting a Congressional App Challenge.
From Rep Steny Hoyer in Maryland District 5 to Rep Jennifer Wexton in Virginia District 10, and nearly every Member in between, local Members of the House are inspiring students to pursue computer science and STEM careers through local competitions. With so many tech jobs unfilled we need leaders in Congress to inspire the next generation in STEM. A thriving ecosystem of startups and tech companies like Amazon are benefiting from these leaders in the House.
The Representatives Creating a Local Tech Talent Pipeline In DC Metro
Rep Donald Beyer, Virginia 8th District
Rep Anthony Brown, Maryland’s 4th District
Rep Gerry Connolly, Virginia 11th District
Rep Steny Hoyer, Maryland’s 5th District
Rep Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of Columbia At-Large
Rep Jamie Raskin, Maryland’s 8th District
Rep Dutch Ruppersberger, Maryland’s 2nd District
Rep John Sarbanes, Maryland’s 3rd District
Rep David Trone, Maryland’s 6th District
Rep Jennifer Wexton, Virginia 10th District
There are 10 Congressional districts in Amazon’s HQ2 footprint, and all 10 participated in the Congressional App Challenge (CAC). The local tech talent is increasing as more Members of Congress emphasize the importance of computer science and STEM.
STEM-related jobs have grown at three times the rate of non-STEM jobs between 2000-2010, and they continue to grow at an exponential rate. Seven out of the ten largest STEM occupations are computer-related. By 2025, there will be 3.5 million STEM jobs to fill, and many of these may go unfilled due to the difficulty of finding people with the skills in demand. Members of Congress are inspiring future coders in communities all across America through the CAC to mitigate this critical problem.
These organizations support the House of Representatives’ Congressional App Challenge.
