Jo Ann Johnson is manager of youth and education programs at Tech Collective, Rhode Island’s information technology and bioscience industry association.
PBN: Tech Collective is offering five scholarships worth a combined $7,000 for students interested in pursuing IT careers. What are the details?
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JOHNSON: The Fibertech Networks/Tech Collective Scholarship is offering $3,000 to a female high school student entering the IT field. There are two Lighthouse Computer Services/Tech Collective Scholarships awarding $1,000 each to high school or post-secondary students who are entering the IT field and who are also in the U.S. Military, or have a parent who is. The Doug Schwinn / Tech Collective Scholarship, donated by the former CIO of Hasbro, is also two $1,000 scholarships for female or minority high school students entering IT fields. All applicants must be Rhode Island residents and attend a Rhode Island college or university.
Applications and all the details are available on the Tech Collective Web site – tech-collective.org – click on “Youth Initiatives” on the left-side navigation pane. I would encourage those interested to apply soon, the application deadlines start on March 12. We will then announce the winners in May.
PBN: Where did Tech Collective get the idea for the scholarships? Where is the money coming from?
JOHNSON: In my previous job, one of my responsibilities was to manage scholarship opportunities for Rhode Island students, including the Louis Feinstein Memorial Scholarship. When I came to Tech Collective, which at the time did not have a scholarship program, it was natural for me to suggest it. Of course, the scholarships are also an inherent fit into the mission and initiatives of the Tech Collective. We are working to build (in this particular case) the IT community and work force. There is no better place to start than with our youth. They are our future and we need to support and fund them – and keep them here in Rhode Island. So here we are!
The money for many of the scholarships is generously donated by local companies with a shared vision of IT growth and prosperity in Rhode Island. This year, we are fortunate to work with IT companies Lighthouse Computer Systems and Fibertech Networks as well as through the Doug Schwinn scholarship fund to offer these scholarships.
PBN: Are these scholarships aimed at addressing specific skill gaps seen by Rhode Island’s IT companies? What are the most pressing needs out there?
JOHNSON: When Tech Collective released its Report of the Rhode Island Skills Gap Task Force in the fall of 2007, it showed that over half of Rhode Island IT employers reported that finding and hiring employees with the right skill sets was one of their greatest staffing challenges.
The scholarships are aimed at addressing such skill gaps by offering students the opportunities and resources to afford an education in the IT profession. The awareness fueled by the scholarships additionally plays a role in showing students, parents and even teachers that there are dynamic, engaging and profitable opportunities available in IT. An additional issue discussed in the report is a lack of female and minority representation in the IT fields. One in four IT professionals are women, even less are minorities. We hope the structure of the scholarship applications will encourage more female and minority students to pursue an IT education.
Although the Skills Gap Report identified skills such as project management, networking engineer and help desk support, as some of the most in-demand among employers, students do not necessarily have to concentrate on these areas.
PBN: Is Tech Collective undertaking any other initiatives aimed at young people?
JOHNSON: Oh yes! We just had our renowned GRRL Tech event on Friday, March 5 at Roger Williams University. More than 400 high school girls and educators attended workshops in IT, biotech, engineering, computer animation and much more. This year Amgen also offered a STEM workshop just for educators. And RWU again generously donated a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to one lucky student at the event. GRRL (Girls Reaching Remarkable Levels) Tech is one of my favorite events of the year – very energetic and engaging for the girls!
Throughout the year, Tech Collective additionally collaborates with industry and academia to promote youth initiatives including: internship programs, job shadows, mentorships – an initiative we are currently working on with the Sophia Academy – and classroom and youth center presentations given by industry professionals. We also have great relationships with Junior Achievement of Rhode Island, the FIRST Lego League and Tech Challenge robotics, and we recently worked with the Providence-based program, Year Up, to connect three of our small- and medium-sized business members with exceptional apprenticeship students.
PBN: How can tech companies get more involved with Tech Collective’s youth outreach work?
JOHNSON: Just give us call – (401) 521-7805 – my extension is 103, and we’ll be happy to give you more information and get you involved. •
