Growing the IT Talent Pipeline

Taking a Broad & Long View on IT Jobs

Geoff SmithPartners for a Competitive Workforce

Director, IT Pathways

Personal Background

35 Years in Information Technology (IT)• 25 years at Procter & Gamble, retiring as Deputy CIO • 10 years as consultant and “IT Community Activist”

1+ Years in Workforce Development• Director of IT Pathways, Partners for a Competitive

Workforce – Cincinnati USA Region

Agenda

• Frame the IT Talent Gap issue • Tell the “Cincinnati Story” (still emerging)• Highlight the key components

– IT Jobs/Careers– IT Employers– Educators, Training Providers– Stakeholders/Collaborators

The Demand for IT Graduates is Strong!

IT Has the Highest Starting Salaries

National Association of Colleges and Employers | www.naceweb.org

Bringing the Data Closer To Home

Some Key Numbers in Cincinnati

What’s Wrong With This Picture?• 8% of recent college grads are unemployed

• Nearly 50% of recent grads are in jobs not requiring a college degree

• About 1/3 of those are in jobs not requiring a high school diploma

• Yet, thousands of high IT paying jobs in the Region are unfilled

• Region universities are producing less than 500 IT grads/year

Why Is This?• Dot-Com Bubble Burst in 2000• Hyperbole/Misinformation on Offshoring • General Lack of Information/Understanding

– Parents– Guidance Counselors– Teachers– Students

• IT/”Programmers” Stereotypes

Key Players in the “Cincinnati Story”

• IT Officers of the 30 largest organizations in Region• Represent 6,000-7,000 IT jobs locally • Manage IT budgets totaling $2-3B/year• None of these are “Technology Companies”

IT Employer Engagement/Leadership

Comprehensive Approach To Address GapMust Create New “On-Ramps” and Expand Existing Ones

High Schools

2- Yr & Vocationals

Universities

Displaced Workers

Incumbent Employees

(non-IT)

Early Retirees (IT)

Trad

ition

al R

ecru

iting

INTERallianceRelocations from Other

Cities

“Plant Trees”Address the Long-term, Core Pipeline Issue

High Schools

2- Yr & Vocationals

Universities

Displaced Workers

Incumbent Employees

(non-IT)

Early Retirees (IT)

Trad

ition

al R

ecru

iting

INTERallianceRelocations from Other

Cities

The INTERalliance was formed as a collaborative effort of Greater Cincinnati regional businesses and educators, working together to create an environment that gives local young IT and technology talent a compelling reason to stay in southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky both for college and their careers.

The INTERalliance

IdentifyNurtureTrainEmployRetain

Expand the Pool

Enrichthe Experience

EnsureLocal Resources

Ongoing facilitated success path

IT Careers CampSummer before 11th Grade

Paid Internship ISummer before 12th Grade

Paid Internship IISummer before Undergrad

UndergraduateLocal & National

Co-ops

Employment

Graduate Local & National

Co-ops

IDENTIFY

NURTURE

TRAIN

EMPLOY

RETAIN

The INTERalliance

IT Higher Ed CollaborativeWe have mobilized and “aggregated” the Supply-Side on issues where scale is important (e.g., unified messaging to 16-20 yr olds, internships/coops)

Stronger, Unified Message/Marketing

Close the Gap NowAlternative Hiring Options

High Schools

2- Yr & Vocationals

Universities

Displaced Workers

Incumbent Employees

(non-IT)

Early Retirees (IT)

Trad

ition

al R

ecru

iting

INTERallianceRelocations from Other

Cities

Alternative Hiring Options• Application Developer Apprentice Program

– 3 pilot classes (Java or .NET)– 20/22 now ‘graduated’ and making $50-60K/yr in full-time developer

roles– All from non-IT careers; unemployed/incumbents– Age Mix: 22-29 (25%), 30-54 (40%), 55+ (35%)– 4 hiring companies; WIB; PCW; Training Provider

• IT Support Roles/Help Desk • Opportunities to Scale

– More Roles/Subjects – More Hires– More Employers– More Candidates (e.g., College Students, High School, etc)– More Funding– Online Academies

Understand the Breadth of IT

• Range of Careers/Roles/Jobs• Range of Employers/Industries• Then apply this segmentation

analysis to your market

CREATE Technology

TECHNICAL Business

LEADTechnology

IMPLEMENT/LEVERAGE Technology

Apple Kroger IBM P&G McKinsey GoogleCreate the

Software for iPhones or

iPods

Develop Customer Shopping

Applications for iPhones

Integrate IBM POS Software with Kroger’s

Shopper Applications

Create Digital Couponing on

Smart Phones for

P&G Brands

Help Clients Develop New

Business Models for

eCouponing

Lead New Division of Google for

eCouponing

Broad Spectrum of IT Roles

Broad Spectrum of College Majors

Range of IT Employers

Key Takeaways

• Employer Engagement• Collaboration/Partners• Understand the Breadth of IT

– Careers/Roles/Jobs– Employers/Industries

• Pick which components of IT to prioritize– Biggest Needs for Your Market– Where the Energy Is (e.g., CIO Roundtable vs. “Tech Companies”)