PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — More than 40 major companies have agreed to double the number of engineering internships they offer in a bid to help universities train more people for jobs that require math and science skills.
The commitment was announced Wednesday as members of President Barack Obama’s jobs and competitiveness council met in Portland to solicit ideas for increasing the number of engineers in the United States.
The companies include high-tech, health care, financial and other firms agreeing to hire about 6,300 new engineering interns. Obama’s competitiveness council hopes the new internships will help engineering schools improve abysmal retention rates.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu says some high-tech companies would like to hire engineers in the U.S. but are exporting jobs to Asia because of a shortage of qualified Americans.
