04 Two Years In, Historic $2B Tech Talent Investment Program Going Strong

Two Years In, Historic $2B Tech Talent Investment Program Going Strong

The centerpiece of Virginia’s Amazon HQ2 bid was the performance-based, $2 billion Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP), now fully launched and thriving two years into its 20-year lifespan. Designed to produce more than 32,000 graduates in computer science and related fields — doubling current production levels across the state — the program demonstrates how a state can take a talent-centric approach to its economic development projects.

Working in close collaboration with the other Designated Reviewers (i.e., Secretary of Finance, Secretary of Education, Director of the Department of Planning and Budget, Director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), and Staff Directors of the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee), as well as higher education leaders, VEDP provided leadership and coordination that enabled the following investments in higher education through performance-based MOUs:

■ ~$675 million in undergraduate education, including 250–300 new faculty lines, startup packages, capital projects (new buildings and labs), and operational support

■ ~$375 million in graduate education, including 50–75 new faculty lines, startup packages, capital projects (a new tech campus and new buildings), and operational support

■ $25 million in tech internships / apprenticeships in higher education

■ $25 million in K-12 computer science education (e.g., professional development, online curricula)

The result: Virginia will more than double the number of computer science, computer engineering, and computer software engineering graduates across its higher education system, fueling the tech talent pipeline increasingly required by hundreds of Virginia employers. Currently, only two years into the 20-year program, early results are promising. Nearly all of the participating institutions that span Virginia’s community colleges, fouryear bachelor’s degree programs, and masters’ programs, have either hit or exceeded their targets for number of graduates anticipated. In sum, this equates to ~2,200 Virginia graduates in computer science, computer engineering, and computer software engineering during the 2019-2020 academic year alone.

Additionally, TTIP is providing the necessary funds to enable the launch of Virginia Tech’s new Innovation Campus in Alexandria that will be a beacon for Virginia’s growing tech sector. Additionally, TTIP is providing the necessary funds to enable the launch of Virginia Tech’s new Innovation Campus in Alexandria as well as George Mason University’s Institute for Digital InnovAtion, both of which will be beacons for Virginia’s growing tech sector.

32,000

Ximena Perez is a computer science major at George Mason University, a beneficiary of increased funding from the Commonwealth's Tech Talent Investment Program. Universities use program funds for hiring new faculty members, upgrading equipment, labs, and facilities, and attracting diverse students.

I am continually amazed at what technology can accomplish and how people can use computer science to break down and solve complex problems and to automate various processes to facilitate tasks in everyday life. It is gratifying to learn all these skills through my major.

XIMENA PEREZ

Computer Science Student, George Mason University