Oregon Governor Kate Brown visited SparkLab in downtown Eugene today to announce a roadmap to bring computer science education to every corner of the state. She’s dedicating 5-million dollars in emergency education funds to provide grants, with special consideration for programs that reach women, people of color, and rural communities.
Brown told KLCC, “These students are having real work opportunities, hands on learning, which is incredibly effective, and as you can tell from meeting these students, they’re going to school, they’re also going to go to university, but they’re very excited about engineering, about computer science, and that’s exactly what we need for the future of Oregon.”
Brown said gaps exist in tech jobs across Oregon, and she’s asking to develop a statewide plan to provide computer science education for all. SparkLab is a place where Lane County students work with industry partners on real-world projects. Some students help companies develop products and are paid for their work.
