Project aims to bridge the gap between industry-desired and traditional skills in civil engineering. WSU selected as one of 11 universities to be awarded funding out of 90 applicants
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced a total of $252,933 for Washington State University’s (WSU) Department of Civil and Environment Engineering (CEE) and School of Design and Construction (SDC) to help students develop the skills valued by modern employers in civil engineering. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s STEM Talent Challenge.
CEE and SDC collaborated on Washington’s High-Demand Advanced Civil Engineering Workforce Development project and competed with 90 universities nationwide for funding. The project was one of 11 selected to receive funding.
The project aims to bridge the talent gap between industry-desired knowledge and traditional technical skills in civil engineering. The project focuses on infusing critical emerging technologies — including artificial intelligence, virtual reality tools, and drones — in work-and-learn education to develop students’ skills to fill high-demand civil, structural, transportation, and construction engineering jobs.
The project specializes in supporting students from underrepresented groups, such as students from Indigenous, farming, and low-income communities, as well as women, people of color, and adult learners.
Sen. Cantwell has been a strong advocate for workforce development regarding emerging technologies. Earlier this month, at a Senate hearing focused on recent advances in artificial intelligence, Sen. Cantwell stressed the importance of job training programs to maintain U.S. competitiveness. In August, Sen. Cantwell hosted an AI Forum in Seattle where she called for an AI workforce training bill, similar to the GI Bill, to prepare workers for the future impacts of AI.