Tech Corps tells House Technology and Innovation Committee it is expanding K–12 pre-apprenticeships after successful pilots

At a meeting of the House Technology and Innovation Committee, Chair Miller introduced Lisa Chambers, national executive director of Tech Corps, who described the nonprofit’s K–12 technology programs, pilot outcomes and expansion plans.

Chambers said Tech Corps’ recent statewide hackathon brought students to the State House atrium to showcase mobile apps built around a United Nations sustainability goal. "Students from around the state who have participated in our Tech Corps hackathon ... will be coming and having an opportunity to meet with their representatives and be celebrated for their innovation," Chambers said.

She summarized Tech Corps’ role since 1995 as "bridging the opportunity gap in technology education" and provided program scale figures: "serving 25,000 students, 550 educators, and engaging over 2,000 technology professionals as volunteers." Chambers described a 12-hour hackathon model and said many participants had little prior experience in mobile app development.

Chambers highlighted the organization’s move to career-connected learning and pre-apprenticeships. "One of the most promising opportunities for meeting this growing need for technology talent is through pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship," she told members, adding that Tech Corps’ Student Tech Core and Student Web Core were approved by Apprenticeship Ohio as registered pre-apprenticeship programs.

On pilot results she said more than 100 students earned a pre-apprenticeship certificate in the information technology career cluster, "nearly 50% earned an industry-recognized credential," and 95% of students reported improved technology skills and stronger interest in pursuing technology careers.

Committee members asked how Tech Corps reaches students who lack regular access to technology education. Representative Dobos asked whether Tech Corps had data on urban and rural participation; Chambers said the nonprofit collects demographic data and that "a majority of the students that we serve right now are probably in urban areas" because corporate support tends to concentrate locally. She said the organization is developing strategies and seeking financial support to expand into rural communities.

Several members discussed embedding technology instruction in existing coursework. Vice Chair Claggett and other lawmakers raised the possibility of dual-credit classes that satisfy both math and technology requirements. Chambers said Tech Corps develops curriculum mapped to standards and professional development for lower-grade teachers so computer science concepts can be embedded in math lessons.

Members also raised the risks and governance questions around artificial intelligence. Vice Chair Claggett described concerns about legal and civil-rights protections related to AI; Chambers said Tech Corps is "rolling out its AI strategy" around three pillars—educators, students and the organization—and emphasized training teachers not only to use AI but to understand its limits and implications.

Chambers asked for public–private partnerships to scale the programs to a target of roughly 375 students in planned expansion phases and said Tech Corps has discussed rollout strategies with the Ohio Department of Education and workforce. She invited members to visit the atrium to meet hackathon students later in the day.

Procedural business: the committee approved the prior meeting minutes "without objection" before the presentation. Chair Miller closed the session and adjourned the committee after the testimony and question-and-answer period.