It’s estimated that existing Rhode Island companies create 2,000 Information Technology (IT) jobs annually.
And while the numbers vary as to how many students are graduating from the state’s schools of higher learning with degrees related to information technology, one thing is clear — the two figures don’t match up.
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In fact, there is such a wide gap, that new Community College of Rhode Island President Thomas D. Sepe proposed, and received some initial funding for, a new Information Technology Center.
“Being new to the state what I did was go and meet lots of people and find out what issues they thought were important,” he said. “I kept hearing the same issue — there was a significant need for well and better trained individuals in the IT field.”
Sepe said the concerns were similar to those he experienced before coming to the Ocean State from New Jersey. There he started a technology training resource center — similar to what’s planned for Rhode Island.
“The center would provide people with a one-stop location to gather information and be helped to make decisions in regard to their futures,” he said. “The center would consist of material that helps people ascertain the level of competence in the field of information technology and likewise what else do they need to know to move into the various positions available.”
On a visit to the state months ago, Sepe proposed the idea to Gov. Lincoln Almond who included $525,000 in initial funding in this year’s state budget.
“We have the opportunity to be a leader in the new economy,” Almond said in his State of the State address. “That’s why we need to team up with the Human Resources Investment Council, with institutions of higher education and with members of the technology industry to establish an Information Technology Center. Through this joint venture we will be creating a statewide network to develop a pool of employees for the job technology industry. Whether you’re a high school senior, whether you’re a welfare recipient, or whether you are looking for a new job opportunity we will assess your abilities and refer you to the best entry point in the training network. Our future economic well being depends upon our ability to have enough highly trained employees to support the industries of tomorrow.”
The state’s Human Resources Investment Council has also awarded the center a $41,000 planning and development grant in an effort to get the center started.
“We will use that money to gather information,” Sepe said. “What’s happening now is sort of a sounding board process.”
Many in the industry, including Sepe, understand the task ahead of them isn’t an easy one.
“One of the things I have learned is that like other states, the higher education community is very competitive with each other,” he said. “This effort requires us to be cooperative and come in as one unit the answer is that we do have our niches, and we do have our overlaps. But the fact is that the community is in such need that each of our institutions can run the classes they have now, and together we wouldn’t feel the need to compete.”
Executive Director of the Rhode Island Technology Council Rick Kovar said competition should be the last thing on the mind of those involved with the new center.
“What we are trying to do is bring the public and private institutions that do the bulk of training together to create an assessment process,” he said. “The goal is that any student whether they are in high school, college or unemployed, can be directed to the program that best benefits them.”
According to Kovar, it’s also important to define what exactly an IT worker is in today’s market.
“We really need to find who the companies are that are hiring these workers, what kind of workers they are hiring, and how they are trained,” he said. “When we know that we will have a much better idea when determining matching students with where they can learn best, and what they should be learning.”
And while the initial center will be housed at CCRI, Sepe and others agree that there should be one on the campus of almost every higher education institution in the state.
“Leadership is not ownership,” Sepe said. “I think when you look at all the pieces you see that there is something there for everyone. We are just in the beginning.”
