January 21, 2004 Washington, DC -- The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) today praised the Bush administration's proposal to increase new funding for education and job training programs by $500 million. In his State of the Union Address last night, President George W. Bush announced the Jobs for the 21st Century plan to prepare the U.S. workforce by strengthening post-secondary education and job training and improving high school education in the U.S. Of particular interest to the high tech industry is the $120 million increase in Math and Science funding included in the President's plan.

 

"This is an important first step in ensuring that the American workforce remains competitive and productive in the global economy," said ITI President Rhett Dawson.

 

The administration's proposal to increase funding for the Mathematics and Science Partnership program, which was authorized in the No Child Left Behind Act, would support direct Federal competitive grants for partnerships aimed at increasing mathematics achievement by secondary school students. According to the proposal, the initiative would focus on ensuring that States and school districts implement professional development projects for mathematics teachers with a strong background in research and assist mathematics teachers in strengthening their skills.

 

ITI will work to ensure that the additional math and science funding is included in the Congressional budget.

 

The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) represents the leading U.S. providers of information technology products and services. ITI is the voice of the high tech community, advocating policies that advance U.S. leadership in technology and innovation; open access to new and emerging global markets; support e-commerce expansion; protect consumer privacy; preserve consumer choice; and enhance the global competitiveness of it member companies.

 

ITI member companies include Accenture, Agilent Technologies, Apple, Canon U.S.A., Cisco, Corning, Dell, Eastman Kodak, eBay, EMC, Hewlett-Packard, Honeywell, IBM, Intel, Lexmark, Microsoft, Motorola, National Semiconductor, NCR, Oracle, Panasonic, SAP, Sony Electronics, Sun Microsystems, Symbol Technologies, Tektronix, Time Warner, and Unisys. For more information, contact Shannon Feaster at sfeaster@itic.org.

 

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