A bill that would allow high school students to earn credits for a computer science degree passed the House on Monday.
Through a virtual computer science career academy, middle and high school students can learn computer science fundamentals, which are typically unavailable in their communities. The program will allow them to earn 12 college credit hours toward a degree at a state school.
House Bill 680’s primary sponsor and Northern Kentucky Representative Ed Massey (R-Hebron) said the program would prepare students for the technology field in Kentucky and address the needs of the state’s workforce.
“This unique program provides vast possibilities for underrepresented students to access one of the nation’s fastest-growing career fields,” Massey said. “As we continue to identify and tackle the state’s pressing needs, we’re focused on building a talent pipeline centered on skills that are transferable across our highly skilled workforce needs.”
Nationwide, data science is one of the most in-demand job sectors. Sixty-seven percent of Kentucky’s STEM jobs will be in computers science, and currently, there are more than 3,000 open positions, according to a study by Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education.
Currently, the iLEAD Academy is a program for five rural high schools that allows students to earn dual credit in computer science. HB680 expands upon that concept and will be called the WeLead CS Academy. The program will be available at no cost.
“Data Science is the highest-demand job in America with an average annual salary of $117,000, said Alicia Sells, Director of Innovation and Communication at the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, who runs the academy. “WeLead CS will offer students the nation’s first Data Science career pathway and opportunity to earn 12-21 hours of college credit to get a jumpstart on computer science degrees.”
