Legislation making its way through the Michigan Senate would require public high schools to offer at least one computer science class.

The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and now heads to the full Senate.

Lisa Rivera from the Mackinac City School District says they’ve been offering classes for years.

“Computer science is an integral part of every industry,” Riversa said. “Healthcare, education, transportation, finance, manufacturing, and tourism. But the benefits of computer science education go far beyond the technical concepts that are taught in the classroom.”

Supporters of the bill say there are more than 17,000 computing jobs available in Michigan and many could be filled by students who take the classes.