Closing the Technical Talent Gap

Students from underrepresented groups may have a chance for a free education in the future. How? By enrolling in a future Digital Service Academy.

A panel of artificial intelligence and technical experts is recommending that the federal government create a digital academy to train a tech-savvy civilian workforce. 

The U.S. Digital Service Academy (USDSA) would be modeled after the five existing military academies but with only technical training and no military training. Students would be trained by the federal government in technology fields with a tuition-free education in exchange for 5 years of government service. 

Instead of graduating as a commissioned military officer, college graduates would join the civilian workforce at the Department of Defense and other federal agencies.

This is to fill the shortage of students graduating in computer science and other technical fields. According to report, AI and digital talent is scarce in the U.S.

In 2020, there were more than 430,000 open computer science jobs in the United States, while only 71,000 new computer scientists graduate from American universities each year.