PROVIDENCE — Tech Collective, a group of businesses, nonprofits, entrepreneurs and others, with a mission of strengthening the Rhode Island technology community, has announced a more-targeted focus.
Originally working with the Information Technology and bio-science industries, Tech Collective will now work exclusively to serve the needs of the IT community, especially regarding its main challenge: growing the workforce, said Tim Hebert, Tech Collective board member.
“We felt that need to … pick one sector or the other,” said Hebert. “Our members are more on the IT side. It’s one of the biggest decisions we’ve made, to really address that industry at a deeper level,” he told Providence Business News, and serve its 100 member-companies in a more comprehensive way.
Hebert, Carousel Industries Inc.’ chief client officer and founder and CEO of Trilix, noted that most organizations evolve every five years, making investments and tweaks, as Tech Collective is doing now. The decision was made in part with feedback from a focus group involving about 30 Tech Collective members over a year’s time, Hebert said, with participants reporting finding talent as a main challenge.
Tech Collective looks to help increase the state’s IT talent pipeline with training programs for incumbent workers and “on-rampers,” said Hebert.
With a need for individuals to work with end users, incumbent workers already in IT would be offered resources to hone customer-service and communication skills, he said. On-rampers with no IT experience, such as career changers, college graduates or those who are unemployed or underemployed, would have access to training programs as well.
Tech Collective looks to be a hub for companies and individuals to take advantage of various resources and programs, said Hebert, as part of its more finely tuned mission. “We want to be the clearinghouse. They can choose which program to invest time in.”
Another area where Tech Collective is looking to strengthen the IT workforce numbers is by reaching back further, into schools. Hebert said that bringing computer science programming skills more front and center will help students not only develop problem-solving skills, but become aware of computer science as a career path.
Tech Collective, already a representative to the Pathways in Technology Early College High School program in schools, aims to be a hub to provide IT mentors that come speak in schools, for example, he said.
Susan Shalhoub is a PBN contributor.