Science, technology, engineering jobs still in demand despite recession
To quote Jackie Treehorn from the Coen brothers’ cult classic, “The Big Lebowski,” “The way of the future, Dude, one hundred percent electronic!” This quote, although out of context, rings with a pitch of legitimacy as jobs, businesses and society continue their exodus into the technological age.
The Commonwealth is home to many advancing businesses; Va. is a very business oriented state and defense contracting is big business in the United States. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) states that numerous localities here require “businesses engaged in design, development, production of materials, components or equipment required to meet the needs of national defense.”
When gambling with investments, the government is confident in stimulating the economy with defense incentives. James Maurer, President of HDT Shelter Business Unit, said, “They’re [the VEDP] actively trying to move businesses into that area [of high unemployment] and advertising tax incentives in that those localities as well as job force training work and to leverage the available workforce so that is definitely a huge initiative by the Economic Development.”
The VEDP 2010 Fiscal Year Report states, based on announcements made by the Planning District Commission, that “a total of 16,400 new jobs will be created. In addition, these facilities will result in investments totaling $2.6 billion. Forty-two percent of the announcements were of employers locating in economically distressed areas. These announcements are expected to create nearly 6,000 new jobs and make capital investments exceeding $1.09 billion.”
Historically Underutilized Business Zones, or HUB Zones, are also economically distressed areas and the government offers incentives for companies and small businesses to start up in these locations, Maurer says, “There are definitely incentives from the government … . They will incentivize contracting offices as well as government prime contractors to utilize these companies so that what they will have are government contracts that are set aside for HUB Zones or other types of qualifying areas to help stimulate economic investment in those areas.”
The need for scientists, engineers and mathematicians is great. When asked what kind of future the job market holds for those in the science, technology, engineering or mathematics divisions, Henry Bolheke, Dean of Business, Mathematics and Technologies at PVCC, said, “A lot of the jobs we’re looking at, the future jobs, help us to better utilize technology… These [jobs] are where the real opportunities lie.”
