Microsoft founder Bill Gates didn’t mince words during his recent testimony before the House Science Committee.

The shortage of scientists and engineers is so acute that “we must . . . reform our education system and our immigration policies. If we don’t American companies simply will not have the talent to innovate and compete.”

Workforce shortcomings have even our most successful companies in a sweat, bringing business and government leaders together to accelerate solutions.

According to the abovementioned AP article by Jim Abrams:

Gates outlined four goals he said the country must pursue: improving educational opportunities in science and technology, revamping the visa system for highly skilled workers, increasing federal funding for basic scientific research and providing incentives for private-sector research and development.

In the midst of so much election-year immigration controversy, that’s bound to be a tough sell, but long-term U.S. workforce needs may end up trumping any short-term xenophobia. It points to a not-too-distant future filled with younger and/or foreign-born skilled workers who will need to be brought into the fold, trained, and put on a productive path as quickly as possible.