; (6) leveraging private and nonprofit investments in STEM education will be essential to strengthening the Federal STEM portfolio; and (7) coordinating STEM programs and activities across the Federal Government in order to limit duplication and engage stakeholders in STEM programs and related activities for which objective outcomes can be measured will bolster results of Federal STEM education programs, improve the return on taxpayers’ investments in STEM education programs, and in turn strengthen the United States economy. 602. Advanced technical education and skilled technical workforce (a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) A National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine report predicts a shortfall of nearly 3,400,000 skilled technical workers by 2022. (2) The National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technical Education program is critical to helping improve the training of the skilled technical workforce, with an emphasis on two-year Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) and educating technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation’s economy. (3) The National Science Board’s 2019 report on the skilled technical workforce called for strengthening partnerships between skilled technical workforce programs and business and industry. (b) Advanced technical education program update Section 3(b) of the Scientific and Advanced-Technology Act of 1992 ( 42 U.S.C. 1862i(b) ) is amended to read as follows: (b) National coordination network for science and technical education The Director shall award grants to institutions of higher education, nonprofit institutions, associate-degree granting colleges (or consortia thereof) to establish a network of centers for science and technical education. The centers shall— (1) coordinate research, training and education activities funded by awards under subsection (a) and share information and best practices across the network of awardees