Tennessee Voices, Episode 298: Brad Leon, executive director, BlueSky Tennessee Institute
The field of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, in recent years has dominated conversations on the future of the American economy.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that computer science jobs will grow by 22% from 2020 to 2030.
However, there are not enough U.S. students pursuing this field, which provides both a challenge and an opportunity.
The BlueSky Tennessee Institute at East Tennessee State University — a partnership with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee — reports that there only 1,000 qualified graduates to fill the 4,100 information technology job openings each year in Tennessee. They aim to bridge that gap.
On this episode of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, BlueSky Executive Director Brad Leon spoke about the institute.
Students are earning an accelerated bachelor's degree in 27 months at ETSU in Johnson City and finding employment at BlueCross in Chattanooga.
He recently wrote about several students who are successfully pursuing a path toward a high-paying, in-demand career.
Leon also spoke about his past work at Teach for America and his role as chief of innovation at Shelby County Schools as well as his desire to make a positive impact on low-income communities.
Essay by Brad Leon: Why we believe 32 high school students represent the future of BlueCross | Opinion
Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns.
Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter: Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee.
Sign up for Black Tennessee Voices newsletter: Read compelling columns by Black writers from across Tennessee.
Your state. Your stories. Support more reporting like this.
A subscription gives you unlimited access to stories across Tennessee that make a difference in your life and the lives of those around you. Click here to become a subscriber.
About Tennessee Voices
The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
Please email your ideas for future guests to me at dplazas@tennessean.com. Thank you for watching.
Finally, our journalists are working hard during this pandemic to bring you accurate, verified and solid information. Please consider subscribing and supporting local journalism.
Watch past episodes: Tennessee Voices videocast
David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and an editorial board member of The Tennessean. Tweet to him at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Voices: Training students in computer science with Brad Leon
