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High Tech Thirsty For Knowledge
High-tech firms are clamoring for more workers to create the products and services that are fueling the nation's economy. But even as the industry pleads with lawmakers to grant them access to more visas that would enable them to enlist highly-skilled foreign workers to create U.S. products, most tech players acknowledge that the visa remedy is only a short-term solution. In a sign of maturity, the tech industry, where products become obsolete overnight, is actually thinking long term. And so begins technology's forays into educational lobbying.
The high-tech industry is no stranger to education, as most companies realize that harnessing youngsters at an early age can make them customers for life. But now, high-tech has a broader agenda. They want workers for life too.
Tech Firms Try To Make The Grade
Trying to solve the employee crunch that has led to more dependence on H-1B visas, tech companies have begun fierce campaigns to promote technology education in the lower grades, hoping to lure students to the field. But rather than only pleading to the federal government for education appropriations, they have searched out the localities, which typically control the allocation of those funds. Their loud voices have spurred results, and coupled with federal support that has wired classrooms nationwide, more schools and higher education institutions now integrate technology into their curriculums. However, whether the use of computers themselves can entice students into choosing high-tech careers remains to be seen.
Teaching students how to use basic office productivity software and word processors is a fundamental first step for giving students tools they'll need when they graduate, explained John Bailey, director of Pennsylvania's Office of Educational Technology. Because those skills, along with a working knowledge of the Internet and e-mail programs, are a mainstay in most business offices, they are integrated into the curriculum of most schools, he said.
The integration of multimedia programs and an e-mail pen-pal system helped the Baldwin-Whitehall School District in Allegheny County become one of those recognized in a recent Best Practices report released by the University of Pittsburgh.
"We don't teach the Internet as a class," said Jim Amodie, director of technology for the district. "Instead, we have a number of classes that have activities that require students to get information on the Internet."
The district has revolutionized the way it teaches foreign languages and now reports that students read everything from local newspapers to bus schedules and menus in the language of study via the Internet. Amodie said he has found that employers are looking for skilled workers "who can get information from a variety of sources independently," and the curriculum in the district tries to highlight those abilities.
Schools Wrestle With Incentive Programs
To educate students who plan on becoming high-tech workers, however, it takes more incentive than exposure to word processing software. Many schools are recognizing the changing face of vocational training, realizing that through internships and certification courses students can obtain valuable skills that are immediately marketable in the workplace. Pennsylvania has seen a growth in certification courses through partnerships with 3Com, Cisco and Microsoft, as well as computer programming and Web design classes, Bailey said.
Seeing the need for that type of education, two charter schools in the District of Columbia have popped up to service the industry. Techworld, a high school that launched its program last year, caters to students who don't just want to use computers — they want to build them. Upperclassmen choose graphic design, computer programming or Internet network engineering as a major concentration, and an internship is a graduation requirement. Recently, the Information Technology Association of America joined forces with the inner city school to determine partnership opportunities, and spokespeople from both organizations suggest mentoring programs and curriculum guidance may be possible outcomes.
"This school is exactly what we need," said Harris Miller, ITAA president at a recent Techworld open house. "This charter school, combined with the rigors of education, is going to be a model for DC and cities and countries throughout the world."
With the students attending class 20 more days out of the school year and 45 minutes more each day than DC public schools, administrators say they have been able to make higher education a reality for many more students. "We don't just incorporate technology into our curriculum," says principal Christine Handy. "Information technology is our curriculum."
Board of Trustees Chairman Dean Matthews echoes those sentiments. "We're not teaching our students how to surf (the Internet), we're teaching them to develop the databases behind them. I don't see why companies have to wait another four years to maximize on their potential," Matthews says, alluding to the workforce crunch and the school's aggressive partnering efforts with ITAA members. "They're ready now."
Remembering The Three Rs
But many educators and IT professionals warn that the fundamentals are still important for preparing students to take high-tech jobs. "If students don't get through algebra, their chances of getting to college are close to zero," ITAA's Miller said. "And their chance to be part of the IT revolution is even closer to zero."
Those basics are why Pennsylvania and other states have implemented strict academic standards in basic curriculum areas such as math and science. Bailey noted that the state's committee of business leaders, elected officials, parents and teachers solicited help in drafting the new state goals, and found that to be competitive in the new economy, students needed to up their science and math scores. "We kept consistently hearing that the math standards needed to be very rigorous," Bailey says, noting that 11th graders are expected to study calculus and algebra.
College professors reiterate the foundation-theory, adding that a strong liberal arts foundation give students a solid problem solving background that will allow them to thrive in any situation.
"The kind of skills students come out having are exactly" the ones they'll need in the workplace, said Jeanne Narum, the director of Project Kaleidoscope, a national alliance dedicated to strengthening undergraduate science, math, engineering and technology education. Problem solving, independent work, team skills added to a feeling of being at ease with technology, and students can jump into any situation. "And who knows, it might be fun!" she exclaimed. "Savvy students look ahead and see where the world is going to."
—by Stephanie Lash
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