What Will McCain and Obama Do About High-Tech Education?

If you listen to John McCain and Barak Obama, the future of the American economy depends upon a well-trained, technology-oriented American workforce.

What does this mean to the average Engineering student getting ready to enter the workforce? Either candidates' policies could result in a greater range of jobs for high-tech employees.

Of course, some of these recommendations, if enacted, would come into play too late to help anyone currently in college. But they could still affect the job environment of the next few decades, so they are well worth your attention.

Obama's policies hing upon getting more American workers, especially minorities, in sci-tech positions. He told ScienceDebate2008.com that he supports what he calls a $4,000 American Opportunity Tax Credit designed to provide affordable access to STEM education. Going into more detail on his website, Obama's plan proposes educating and hiring 30,000 new teachers for "high-need schools;" this would include a large number of new math and science teachers.

McCain proposes financial incentives ("bonuses") for STEM teachers whose students demonstrate improvement in their fields. McCain also strongly calls for continuing educating to keep the current workforce sharp and re-train workers from other fields who have lost their jobs.

Students from other countries studying in the U.S. may have some help from each candidate. McCain proposes green card and H1-B visa caps that would rise and fall based on market needs. Obama says immigrants who earn their degrees in the U.S. should have better flexibility to stay in the country and work, and has proposed examining how to increase the number of permanent visas issued to these workers.

You can find more detail on the McCain/Obama proposals at ScienceDebate2008. In the meantime, let us know what you'd like the candidates to do for your educational needs!