Too often, there is a significant disconnect between the realms of business and education. Constantly changing business practices put a strain on educators to remain abreast of emerging industry trends. The problem is compounded because it can be costly – in time, energy and money – to remain updated.
Particularly in the information technology industry, knowledge comes and goes so quickly that what IT professionals learned three years ago is already outdated. It is estimated that what students learn in their freshman college year may be irrelevant by the time they graduate as seniors.
Industry is often hesitant to become involved in working with educational institutions to combat this problem, citing a lack of time as one main reason. And with ever-increasing cost pressure, who can blame businesses?
But this segregation of education and industry, of classroom and real world, is a severe and growing dilemma in our educational and career-path pipeline.
“With fewer and fewer students exiting high school and even college systems with adequate business, industry and professional know-how, this is a dilemma that has become quite apparent to educators and employers alike,” says Kathie Shields, director of the technology industry association, Tech Collective. Tech Collective recently released its “Report of the Informational Technology Industry Skills Gap” and is in the process of developing a social, online internship and career platform. “If we are going to overcome this country’s education and skills gaps, we need to take steps toward change,” Shields says.
And the time for change is now. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the information technology industry is expected to grow 68 percent from 2002 through 2012. The R.I. Economic Development Corporation reports the IT and digital media sectors provide almost 16,000 jobs and more than $1 billion in wages. Yet, despite the fact that IT has some of the fastest-growing, highest-paying career fields, educators and employers are struggling to fill rosters and hire positions. According to the Tech Collective’s report, IT enrollment has declined nearly 50 percent nationwide. In Rhode Island alone, two leading colleges and universities have reduced their IT programs, and one has eliminated it altogether.
“With still much room to grow, collaboration between education and industry – and government – is imperative,” says Shields. “We have the opportunity to teach the students who will fill Rhode Island’s high-wage career openings.” In some quarters of the educational world, that opportunity is understood.
“It is the industry input that drives our curriculum,” states Frank Tweedie, dean of the School of Technology at Johnson & Wales University. “And it helps us focus on the skill sets that make our students valuable in the marketplace.”
With value and innovation in mind, Tweedie and Paul Cronin, senior vice president of Atrion Networking Corp., worked in tandem to develop cooperative learning opportunities at Atrion for JWU students interested in business and technology solutions. Of the more than 60 interns Atrion has hosted, 15 have been from Johnson & Wales, with seven of them later hired by the company.
Last year discussions led to the creation of a Help Desk lab to be built on campus. Now beyond the blueprint phase, the call center is expected to be fully functional in September. Practicing as industry “Level 1” engineers, approximately 16 students a day will provide Atrion clients with live customer support in the fields of computer tech services and network engineering.
Once again, the benefits of industry and educational collaboration will offer a stronger alignment between university learning and business requirements.
“We are facing great challenges today in all industries and in all states,” says Cronin. “Together, we cannot only generate an industry-education partnership, but also make a difference in the lives of a lot of young adults as we foster our future work force. That success is what we are really here for.” •
Giselle LaFrance is a communications specialist at Atrion Networking.
