For years, tech leaders, even presidents, encouraged young people to learn coding, promising a future filled with high-paying jobs and endless opportunities. But now, that promise may be fading.
As part of the latest 13 Investigates report, local tech and county leaders are working together to introduce STEAM early, while giving students real-world exposure to growing tech pathways.
Back in the early 2010s, coding was seen as the golden ticket to a high-tech career. Billionaires and tech executives said learning computer science would boost the economy and secure jobs for the next generation. And it worked for a bit…but not so much now.
The number of undergraduates majoring in computer science has more than doubled since 2014, topping 170,000 last year, according to the Computing Research Association. But now, the rise of artificial intelligence is changing the game. A.I. tools can write thousands of lines of code in seconds, and major tech companies like Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Intel have cut jobs, leaving many new grads struggling to find work.
Now, Rensselaer County and tech leaders are finding ways to fill the tech education gap.
Kevin Owens, President and CEO of NYSTEC, says the answer may be in exposing students to innovation early.
“And these innovative technologies, obviously, they’re moving at the speed of light. I mean, AI, we’re talking about it every single day. Next is quantum; we’re going to be talking about that every single day for the next couple of years,” Owens said. “So I think it’s kind of exposing young minds to these new technologies. Because they really are the people who will likely teach me how to use these technologies. More than what I’m reading on the internet or what I’m learning from my clients.”
Corey Jones, with the Rensselaer County Capital Resource Corporation, says the hands-on experience is what makes this effort different.
“And really get some real job training… on-the-job training,” Jones said. “And it’s a unique experience because there’s nothing like this that’s being done in the country.”
That unique experience is happening right in downtown Troy, where a group of educators, tech leaders, and county officials are running a new pilot program for an emerging technology – quantum.
Quantum mechanics, often called quantum physics, examines the grainy and sometimes fuzzy behavior of the smallest particles that make up our universe. Think of it like your television screen, when you zoom in close enough, you see it’s made up of tiny pixels. The quantum world works the same way. If you look closely enough at matter and energy, you’ll find units with their own distinct characteristics, each playing a role in how the universe functions at its most basic level.
Emilly Obuya, Workforce Development Liaison for the Quantum Pilot Program, says she hopes the effort becomes more than just a temporary project.
“I just hope that through this project, that we can come together to develop an infrastructure that will allow not only educators, but also industry folks, to give us the mechanism to be able to continue to work on this project,” Obuya said. “So, I just don’t want this to be a pilot project that runs and ends. I want this to be a sustainable, continuous model that we’re able to use for the next industry.”
Obuya believes introducing technology as early as kindergarten- or even preschool- could be key. College students like Jermaine Mullings, now studying at HVCC, say those early experiences made all the difference.
“If I can bring it back to one thing… it would be LEGOS. LEGOS is really what got me started in creativity and ingenuity,” Mullings said.
His former vice principal, Laura Holmes of Redemption Christian Academy, says programs like these are helping students see their potential in ways they hadn’t before.
“We’re excited about it. It’s just showing that quantum computing is coming to this area,” Holmes said. “We know tech, and STEM, and all of those industries are coming to the Capital Region, and we really want our youth to take advantage of that.”
Corey Jones says this initiative represents a growing partnership between education and business.
“So, the CRC is here to really support the Skill Rensselaer initiative with quantum,” he said. “Which is fantastic because we’re going to have the opportunity to have academia, and real businesses come here and create, and provide training to students.”
Coming up in Part 2, 13 Investigates will explore why this pilot program is focused on quantum, and how Rensselaer County is making sure that students from all backgrounds can access these advanced opportunities in middle school and high school.
Read more at News Channel 13.
