Commerce Report Examines IT Education, Training Landscape in 21st Century

A new 225-page report released by the U.S. Department of Commerce examines employer demand for information technology (IT) workers, the IT education and training landscape, and the role of employers and workers in IT education and training. Education and Training for the Information Technology Workforce, mandated by the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act of 2000, highlights five broad findings:

• The IT education and training infrastructure has grown significantly in size and scope over the past decade. Today, there is a vast array of IT education and training opportunities, with different types of programs and curricula serving different purposes.
• Jobs in the IT field are varied, complex and specialized, as are the knowledge, skills and experience required to perform them.
• Employers seek workers who possess a specific combination of technical skills and experience, often coupled with a college degree, soft skills and business or industry knowledge. Typically, employers prefer job candidates with the exact skill set who require no additional training.
• There is no single path to prepare a worker for a professional IT job.
• The training landscape is complex, rapidly evolving and therefore challenging to navigate.

The report was prepared following a review to identify and analyze the education and training programs through which Americans prepare for IT jobs and maintain the skills needed in a digital technology environment. The Commerce Department’s Technology Administration conducted a broad outreach effort to solicit the perspectives of employers, IT workers and education and training providers.

Specifically, the Technology Administration conducted eight roundtables across the country; provided an Internet-based qualitative survey mechanism through which representatives of each stakeholder group were able to provide their perspectives on a variety of IT education and training-related questions; and met with a variety of employer, education and training provider, and worker representatives. Six of the roundtables convened employer representatives and education and training providers, and two convened IT workers, gathering insights from a total of 145 individuals. The Internet-based survey attracted nearly 300 respondents, more than two-thirds of which were IT workers.

Education and Training for the Information Technology Workforce is available for download at http://www.technology.gov/reports.