A bill in the state Legislature would require UW-Madison to establish a program called “career conversations” that would introduce middle and high school students to high-tech jobs.

The bill doesn’t set aside any money for the project, but the university’s Center on Education and Work has much of the infrastructure in place to conduct a pilot program, said Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point.

“For us it’s a way to potentially reverse the brain drain that the state experiences,” she said.

Lassa approached the center about starting such a program after hearing about a similar one in North Dakota.

The program would allow students in grades 7 through 12 to engage in Webcam conversations with individuals who have careers in math, science, agricultural education, technology education, and information technology. The conversations would be recorded for future viewing.

As part of the bill, the university would have to evaluate the program and report its progress to the Legislature.

Scott Solberg, associate director of research at the Center on Education and Work, said that this could show students that there are high-demand, high-paying careers in the state.

“We have to show them they have a future in our backyard,” he said.

Although there's no money tied to the bill, Solberg said the program could receive funding from Gov. Jim Doyle’s office or from federal stimulus grants. Without it, the pilot and evaluation efforts will be less extensive.

The bill had a public hearing last week in front of the committee on Agriculture and Higher Education.

Read the On Campus blog: www.madison.com/wsj/blogs/oncampus