Stumping for more engineers, Intel CEO Paul Otellini and U.S. Energy Secretary Stephen Chu appeared together at Portland State University Wednesday to announce that 45 companies have agreed to double the engineering internships they will offer to students next summer.
Otellini, who co-chairs President Barack Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, emphasized the importance of engineering education for the U.S. economy.
"This couldn't come at a better time," Otellini said."Our need for engineers is three times the current supply."
The council is working to address a U.S. shortage of engineers by setting a goal to graduate 10,000 more engineering students from U.S. colleges and universities each year.
At PSU's Hoffman Hall, Otellini and Chu sat on a panel to discuss engineering education with the deans of four university engineering programs — including Renjeng Su, dean of PSU's Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science — and several business executives.
Chu addressed the issue of providing H1B visas for engineers who could fill vacant jobs saying that engineers who are educated in U.S. schools should be able to fill U.S. jobs.
"If you do well, there will be a job for you," Chu said, citing his own background as the child of Chinese citizens who came to the U.S. for graduate school.
The companies pledging to double their internship slots in 2012 include Intel, Facebook, General Electric, Xerox Corp., Boeing and many others. In addition, five companies have pledged to increase internship opportunities next year.
Otellini also announced the council would hit up the same companies and others to raise $100 million from the private sector to go toward improving facilities and paying faculty mentors for engineering programs.
