Understanding the IT Skills Gap in Northeast Ohio · role of higher education to supply talent for it entry-level jobs in demand 29 it programs in ne ohio with the most completers

Understanding the IT Skills Gap in Northeast Ohio

July, 2017

Funders of Project

ShanahanResources,Inc. 2

UNDERSTANDINGTHEITSKILLSGAPINNEOHIO

Understanding the IT skills gap in northeast Ohio

LABORMARKETDATAANALYTICS+EMPLOYERSFEEDBACK=STRATEGICINTELLIGENCEFORWORKFORCEDEVELOPMENTLEADERS

CONCLUSIONS 1

RECOMMENDATIONATENTRY-LEVEL:BETTERALIGNMENTOFITPROGRAMSANDEMPLOYERDEMANDFORENTRY-LEVELJOBOPENINGS 2SUGGESTIONSFORAMORETARGETEDAPPROACH: 3RECOMMENDATIONATMID-LEVEL:NEWINITIATIVESFOCUSEDONATTACKINGTHESKILLSGAPFORMID-LEVELITWORKERS 4PROMOTINGFROMWITHIN—DEVELOPINGAREGIONALMODEL 5RECOMMENDATIONFORFURTHERRESEARCH 7

TechnicalReport

I. RESEARCHGOALS 8

II. ROLEOFITINTHENEOHIOECONOMY 9

NEOHIO’SINDUSTRYREQUIRESFEWERITWORKERS.LOCALFIRMSARELESSTECHNOLOGY-BASED. 10WHEREAREITJOBSLOCATEDANDWHEREDOITWORKERSLIVE? 10RESIDENCEOFITWORKERS 10JOURNEYTOWORKTOCOUNTIESWHEREJOBSARE 11WHATINDUSTRIESEMPLOYITWORKERS 11INDUSTRIESEXPECTEDTOADDTHELARGESTNUMBERSOFITWORKERSBY2022 12LOCATIONBYCOUNTY&METROAREAOFADSFORITWORKERSEVENMORESKEWED 12FURTHERLOOKATITJOBSINDEMAND 13TOPJOBTITLESINITADS 14EMPLOYERSWITHTHEMOSTITJOBPOSTINGSLAST365DAYSENDINGJUNE26 15INDUSTRIESWITHMOSTITJOBADS 15

III. JOBSIN-DEMANDOUTNUMBERQUALIFIEDJOBSEEKERS=SKILLSGAP 15

IV. METHODOLOGY:ANINNOVATIVEAPPROACHUSINGBIGDATAANALYTICS 16

V. SKILLSIN-DEMAND&IMPLICATIONSFORJOBSEEKERS:WHATJOBSEEKERSNEEDFOROCCUPATIONALOPPORTUNITIES 17

TOPSKILLSAPPEARINGACROSSALLITONLINEPOSTINGS 17

VI. SKILLSGAP=JOBSIN-DEMAND>OUTNUMBERQUALIFIEDJOBSEEKERS 18

ALIGNINGDEMANDWITHPOTENTIALSOURCESOFTALENTSUPPLY 20BREAKINGDOWNITJOBADS—ATTHEPOINTOFSOLICITINGAPPLICANTS,EMPLOYERSUSEEDUCATIONANDPRIORWORKEXPERIENCEASTHETWOBESTINDICATIONSOFAPPLICANTQUALIFICATIONS. 20OCCUPATIONSWITHMOSTENTRY-LEVELOPENINGS 21SUPPLYOFITWORKERSFORENTRY-LEVELJOBS 22



VII. NAILINGDOWNANEMPIRICALDEFINITIONOFSKILLSGAPFORENTRY-LEVELJOBS 23

IMPROVINGTHESUPPLYOFITTALENTISABOUTTALENTDEVELOPMENT 23SKILLSGAPQUANTIFIED 24

VIII.DETAILEDFINDINGS:ITOCCUPATIONSWITHSKILLSGAP 24

ENTRY-LEVELITJOBOPENINGSINNEOHIO-–THOSEREQUIRINGNOMORETHAN2YEARSPRIORWORKEXPERIENCE 24MOSTINTENSEGAPSATTHEBACHELORSLEVEL: 24SHORTAGEOFGRADSATCERTIFICATE&ASSOCIATELEVELS 26WHATABOUTTHEREMAININGITOCCUPATIONS? 26

IX. DEEPERUNDERSTANDINGOFNEOHIOPOSTSECONDARYCOMPLETERSOFITPROGRAMS 29

ROLEOFHIGHEREDUCATIONTOSUPPLYTALENTFORITENTRY-LEVELJOBSINDEMAND 29ITPROGRAMSINNEOHIOWITHTHEMOSTCOMPLETERS 30

X. SPECULATINGONNEOHIO’SITSKILLSGAPFORMID-LEVELPOSITIONS 31

LACKOFDIVERSITYANDINCLUSIONINITWORKFORCE 33AGESOFITWORKERS 33

XI. CONCLUSIONS 34

XII. RECOMMENDATIONATENTRY-LEVEL:BETTERALIGNMENTOFITPROGRAMSANDEMPLOYERDEMANDFORENTRY-LEVELJOBOPENINGS 34

SUGGESTIONSFORAMORETARGETEDAPPROACH: 35RECOMMENDATIONATMID-LEVEL:NEWINITIATIVESFOCUSEDONATTACKINGTHESKILLSGAPFORMID-LEVELITWORKERS 38PROMOTINGFROMWITHIN—DEVELOPINGAREGIONALMODEL 38RECOMMENDATIONFORFURTHERRESEARCH 40

I. FOURCAREERPATHWAYSFORITPROFESSIONALS 1

BUSINESSINTELLIGENCE/INTEGRATION(BI) 1NETWORKS,COMPUTERSYSTEMS,SECURITYOFINFORMATION,ANDADMINISTRATION 2DEVELOPMENT 2INTERNETANDINTERACTIVEMEDIA 3

II. ADVANCEDDIGITALSKILLSLARGELYINVOLVEAPPLYINGSOFTWAREAPPLICATIONSONTHEJOB 4

III. CODINGSKILLSINDEMANDAREEMERGINGASAPATHTOHIGHER-SKILLJOBS 6

ECONOMICGROWTHISLINKEDTOUSEOFNEWTECHNOLOGIES 6HOWARETHESESKILLSEMERGINGINNORTHEASTOHIO’SLABORMARKET? 7

IV. BASELINE,ORNON-TECHNICAL,SKILLS 9



Introduction: Quantifying NE Ohio’s IT Skills Gap

LaborMarketDataAnalytics+EmployersFeedback=StrategicIntelligencefor

WorkforceDevelopmentLeadersThisprojectisacollaborativeeffortofcommunitycollegesandindustryintermediariesactingasco-fundersofthisresearch.TheprimarypurposeofthisinvestigationistoidentifyopportunitiesforgreateralignmentofITpostsecondaryeducationandtrainingaswellastheneedformoreresponsivedeliverymodelslikebootcamps.Demandbyemployersisrapidlychanging.ITworkersnowneedtheknowledge,skills,andworkexperiencesthatemployersrevealinonlinejobpostings.Thisreportdocumentstheregion’sskillsgapforITnewhires,includinginsightintotheneedforupskillingofindustriescurrent,experiencedITworkers.ShanahanResources,Inc.,wascommissionedtodocumentthenatureandnuanceofcurrentgapsbetweendemandandsupplyofITworkersintheregionallabormarket.Fromsimilarinvestigationsinregionsinotherstates,consistentfindingsrevealthatwhilethegapislarge:

§ NotallIToccupationshaveagap,andsomehaveamoreintensegapthanothers.Gapanalysisisshownattwolevelsofeducationcredentials:Bachelorsandabove,andAssociatesorotherpostsecondarycredential.

§ NotallITprograms(CIPs)areequallyeffectiveatpreparingstudentsforeachIToccupationand

careerpath.

§ UsingthemethodologiesdevelopedbyBurningGlassTechnologiesitispossibletodeterminewhichoccupationsareexperiencingthemostintensegapsandwhateducationandtrainingprogramshavethebestpotentialtoimpactthegapbyincreasingthesupplyofcompleterswithspecificknowledgeandskillsemployersnowwant;thisvariesamongIToccupations.

ThisinvestigationappliesthelatestdataanalyticstoquantifytheSkillsGapforITWorkersinNEOhioandgapsarepinpointedbybreakingdownITgapsbyoccupation,levelofeducation,andpriorworkexperience.Thisprovidesharddatawithwhichtosharpendiscussionsonactions.Fundingpartnersare:CommunityColleges:CuyahogaCommunityCollege;LorainCountyCommunityCollege;andStarkStateCollegeIndustryIntermediaries:ConxusNEO;Magnet;andRITEThisreportisauthoredbyJimShanahan,Ph.D.,founderofShanahanResources,Inc.whichwasincorporatedasaS-CorporationintheStateofFloridaJanuaryof2012.Heisavailabletodiscussthisworkandcanbereachedatshanahan.jim.l@gmail.comor727-631-8262.



Summary: Conclusions and Recommendations Basedonresearchfindingsandearlydiscussionswithemployersandeducators,itisnowpossibletovisualizetheITSkillsGap,howtothinkaboutit,measureit,andmoreclearlyconsiderthepowerofindustry-ledinitiativeslikeRITE,ConxusNEO,andothers.WenowhaveactionabledataneededtoimprovethealignmentofdemandandsupplyinNEOhio. NowisthetimetostrengtheneffortsinNEOhiotodeeplyengagewithemployersandtheeco-systemoftalentdevelopmentintereststhataredeterminedtobetteraligntheresourcesoftheworkforcedevelopment,education,philanthropy,etc.withemployerneedsforworkers.Theregion’sprimaryinfrastructureforimprovinganexistingandemergentworkforcearetheveryentitiesthatmakeupoureducationandworkforcesystems:postsecondaryeducation(collegesanduniversities,andvocationandtechnicaltraining);thepublicworkforcesystem(fundedbyfederalandstateresources);economicdevelopmentorganizations;andothermajoreffortstosupporttalentdevelopmentthataddressestheregion’sskillgaps.Greateralignmentandpartnershipamongtheseregionalworkforcedevelopmentpartnersisvitaltohasteningthepaceofimprovingworkforcequalityfortheemployer.

Conclusions

§ Employerslooktotheregion’shighereducationsystemforjobseekersemergingfromITprogramsasgraduates.Yetfewareconfidentoftheirabilitytogreaterimpactenrollmentgrowthorprogramchanges.ThefindingsofthisresearchsuggestthatwemaybefallingfartherbehindchangesindemandforITprofessionalstofillentry-levelpositions.

§ Yearsago,employersannuallymadevisitstocollegecampusestosearchforpendinggraduatesinbusiness,engineeringandotherprograms.Fordecades,thiswasaneffectivewayfornationalandlocalemployersandgraduatestoconnectaroundhiringopportunitiesforentry-levelpositions.ItstillcanbeifITprogramcompletersarepreparedwiththeknowledgeandskillsetsemployersnowneed.

§ ITemployerhiringdemandhasmanymoreopeningsatthemid-levelpositionswhicharenot

likelytobefoundamongthoseemergingfrompostsecondaryeducationandtrainingsystems,butlargelymustbefoundamongcurrentITworkerswithstrongjobexperience.Ifpostsecondaryeducationandtraining—highereducationinparticular—aretohelpemployers,newmodelsareneeded.

§ Evenatentry-level,onlycertainIToccupationshavedramaticgapsbetweennumbersofpotential

hiresemployerspursueandthenumberofcompletersemergingwiththerightlevelandfocusfrompostsecondarycredentialscurrentlyawardedwithinNEOhio.



§ Ofcourse,thegreatestdeficiencyisforBachelorsgraduates,however,NEOhioalsoisnotproducingsufficientnumbersofjobslikeComputerSupportSpecialiststokeeppacewithdemand.

§ ThereappearstobeanoversupplyofcompletersfromCertificateandAssociateprograms

preparingstudentstoworkwithnetworkingandcomputersystemsandadministration.Onlyacoupleofsourcesofthistraining,however,accountforthispossibleover-supply.

§ DiscussedinthisreportarethespecificIToccupationsandskillswiththemostintensegaps

betweensupplyanddemandattheentrylevel,attheBachelorsandlessthanBachelorslevel.SpecificITprogramsareidentifiedforeachoccupationaswellaswherecurrentsuppliesofcompletersfallsshort.

§ Recommendationsareprovidedonhowtotakethesediscoveriestothenextlevelinsearchof

concreteactionstoimprovesupplyoverthenextfewyears.

Recommendation at Entry-level: Better Alignment of IT Programs and Employer Demand for Entry-level Job Openings Findingsshowthatthenumericgapsoverallaredaunting.Itisasmuchamatteroflackofcapacitytogreatlyexpandnumbersofcompletersbytwo-,orthree-fold,asitisdifficulttoattractyouthandyoungortransitioningworkersintoprogramsthatpreparethemforITcareers.Thisisnottoimplythataddressingthegapishopeless.TherealopportunitiestoimprovetheabilityofITgradstomeetemployerdemandistolock-inontheIToccupationswiththegreatestgaps,andworkwithemployerstoimprovethenumberofstudentsentering,oraddlearningoutcomesto,ITmajorsthatbestpreparestudentswiththeskillsandproficienciesnowneeded.TherearenearlyfortyprogramswithdifferinglearningobjectivestopreparestudentsforITcareeremployment.ConcentrationsorspecializationsvarywidelywiththebroaddisciplinarythrustsofInformationScienceorManagement,ComputerScience,andComputerEngineering.Basedoncontentemphasisandpurpose,however,nonepreparestudentsforallentry-leveljobsnomattertheoccupationtitleorareaofexpertise.ThisdependsonwhateachIToccupationnowrequiresinknowledgeandskills.Example:whatmajordoemployersmostpreferwhenhiringentry-levelDevelopers?ForSystemsAnalyst?Or,ifComputerScienceisstillthepreferredmajor,cancurriculumandexperientiallearningbeimprovedtoboostlearningsystemsdesignandmodelingorOOADtheory,orworkingcloselywithengineersandbusinessprofessionals?HowcantheeducationexperiencebeenrichedsothatcompletersarepreparedtofillpositionsregardlessofwhichITprogramstheyenter?

OngoingdiscussionswithagroupofITleadersfromindustrypotentiallycananswerquestionssuchas:HowdowebalanceemployerpreferencefortraininginComputerSciencewiththeemergingneedtohire



individualswithmoreblendedskillbases?Pursuitofthisapproachwillrequiredeliberateeffortsbyemployersandeducatorstoengagedeeplyiftheyaretodefinewhereimprovementsshouldbefocusedandwhatactionstakenwillproducemaximumbenefittotheregion.

Suggestions for a More Targeted Approach: WenowknowthatthefollowingIToccupationshavelargenumericgapsbetweensupplyanddemand,andthatinmanycasesitisnotclearwhichITprogramsbestpreparestudentsforthesejobassignments:

§ SystemsAnalysts:InNEOhio,thispositionranksthirdintermsofnumericgap.SpecificprogramsexistinNEOhiowiththeprimaryfocusonSystemsAnalysisasacoreprogramateverylevelofcompletion.Completersatalllevelsemergedbytheendof2015:78withanAssociatesand55withaBachelors.But,therewerenearly300jobpostingsforAnalystswithaBachelors.BaldwinWallaceandthemaincampusofKentStateUniversityofferthisdegree.In2015,KentState’sprogramsproducedmostofthegrads.

CouldemployersagreeonwhetheraconcentrationonSystemsAnalysisispreferredwhenhiringnewanalysts?Couldtheyworkwitheitherinstitutiontoquickenthepaceofcompletersfromtheseprogramswithmodificationsemployersgreatlyvalue?PossiblythiscouldbeprovidingopportunitiestotheirstudentsintheirotherITmajorstoacquiremoreSystemsAnalysisintheireducation,ratherthansimplyrelyoneffortstoexpandenrollmentortransfersintotheSystemsmajor.Undoubtedly,thiscouldworkbestifinterestedemployersarehighlyengagedwithadvisingtheinstitutionsonhowbesttomodifyITprogramstotheimprovestudentknowledgeandskillsimportanttoSystemAnalystsandinteractwithstudentswhileinschool,etc.

§ Cyber/InformationSecurityAnalysts/Managers:Thisoccupationranksfourthintermsofnumeric

skillsgap.Only35ofthe564gradswithaBachelorsfromITprogramswereastrongmatchwiththeknowledgeandabilitiesemployersseekfromjobseekers.Thisrelativelynewoccupationaccountsforalmostalljobspostedwherethepositionhasprimaryresponsibilityoverthesecurityofinformationandsystemsforanorganizationorbusiness.WhilemostpostingsforthispositioninNEOhioaremid-level,requiringthreetofiveyearsofpriorworkexperience,therewas197postingsattheentry-level.

Again,howcanITprogramresourcesbeshiftedaroundtomakespecialareasofexpertise(dataandsystemsecurityinthiscase)toraisethenumberofgradsmeasurablyabove35?Therewereonly19gradsfromaBachelorsprograminsecurityin2015andthosewerefromITTandUniversityofPhoenix.NotasinglegradcamefromanyofthepublicorprivateuniversitiesinNEOhio.



Thisfindingprovidesacaseforconveningaconversationamongtheuniversitiesandpotentiallyemployerswiththegreatestdemandforthisoccupationtodetermineneedandideasforhowtoimprovethissituationwithoutmajoradditionalresourcesinonetothreeyears.

§ SoftwareDeveloper/Engineers:Thisoccupationmaypresentthemostdifficultcasetoresolve.In2015,ithadbyfarthelargestnumericgap(976attheentry-level)andtheleastnumberofgrads(32)fromITprogramsdeterminedtobewell-preparedtoapplyforthesejobsingeneral—yieldingtheresultthatwasonegradforevery30+postingsduringtheyear.Itisnotclearwhichofthenearly40areasofstudythatareintendedtopreparestudentstopursueITcareersarespecificallyaimedatplacinggradsintodeveloperpositions.ThetwomajorsmostlinkedwithsoftwaredevelopersorengineersareComputerProgrammingandSoftwareEngineering.MostofthecompletersofComputerProgrammingdegreesareattheAssociatelevel,nottheBachelors.OnlyemployerscanconfirmifthepreparednessofthesegradsorifaBachelorsispreferred.BaldwinWallacehasaSoftwareEngineeringprogrambutonlythreegradsfromtheBachelorsprogramin2015.Noothersexistintheregion.Beyondtheriseofnewprogramsspecializinginsoftwareapplicationsforthewebormobiledevices,fewneweducationandtrainingprogramsarespecificallyaimedtoaddressthisgapfacingemployers.

Mostpostsfordevelopersorsoftwareengineersarenotemployedinfirmswheresoftwareproductsandservicesisthemainpurpose.Rathertheseworkersareplayingaroleasadeveloperwheresoftwareisacriticalelementofalargerproblem.Theseverityofthegapmakesacaseforconveningagroupofemployerstodiscusswhatmightbedonetoaddressesthisproblem.

§ ComputerSupportSpecialist:Finally,attheAssociatelevelthisistheoccupationwiththesingle

largestgap.Combined,theregion’seducationandtrainingsystemssimplyareproducingtoofewcompletersofeitherCertificatesorAssociatedegrees—Only90totalin2015frommajorsjudgedtobestrongpreparationforthisrole.CompletersfromComputerSupportServicesprogramsareprovidedbytheprivatefor-profittechnicaltrainingorganizations,notthecommunitycolleges.TherearenoprogramsinComputerandInformationSciencesandSupportServiceswithgradswithAssociatesdegreein2015.

Recommendation at Mid-level: New Initiatives Focused on Attacking the Skills Gap for Mid-level IT Workers ProducingharddataonITjobseekersalreadyintheworkforcewaswell-beyondthescopeofthisinvestigation,butemployersindicatethatthesepositionsaremoredifficulttofillthanentry-level.Thereisnosourceofinclusivedataonworkersalreadyemployedandthelikelihoodtheywillapplyforpositionswithotheremployersastheyareposted.



ByandlargetheseindividualsarenotcurrentlyenrolledinITeducationandtrainingprogramstoprepareforacareerinIT,oreventoaddressITskillstheyneedtoacquireorimproveinordertostaycurrentandadvanceintheircareer.Thebestwehaveisinformationaboutthoseemployedbyoccupationorindustry.Forexample,NEOhioITprofessionalsnowworkinghavesomechallengeswhenbeingconsideredasthepotentialpoolforfillingmid-levelITroles.Toofewworkingin2016haveaBachelor’sdegreegivencurrentemployerhiringpreferences.ToofewfemalescurrentlyareemployedinITjobs.MostjobsareheldbyWhiteMalesrelative.Lackoffemalesandpersonsofcolor,relativetotheiroverallpresenceintheworkforcelikelysuggestbarrierstoentryintoITcareersthatneedbreachingiftheregion’sindustryistomakefulluseofNEOhio’scurrentworkingagepopulation.ManyhavetiredofcompetingwithoneanotherforNEOhioexperiencedworkersandhaveincreasedeffortstopromotefromwithinbyidentifyinghighperformingworkerswhostartedinentryleveljobsandcreatedwaystogetthemtheadditionalskillsrequiredtosucceedinmid-levelopenings.Imaginewhatispossibleifwehadaregionalapproachtodothesamething,andemployerstopartnerwitheachotherandwithhighereducationtotweakcurriculumandtheuseoffast-trackprogramstoprovideworkersaddedskillsneededtoadvanceintheircareers.Thiscanbethrougheitheradditionaleducationorworkexperiencesbuiltaroundsharedemployerneeds.Thefutureisripewithopportunitiestochangebehaviorsandaddressemployerpainpointthroughcollaborativeeffortsandconcreteaction.PROMOTINGFROMWITHIN—DEVELOPINGAREGIONALMODELJustasinternshipsareusedtodevelopapoolofpotentialapplicantsforentry-levelpositions,oncehired,theseemployeescanbecomeapotentialpooloftalentforfuturemid-levelopeningswithinthecompany.Someemployerssiteeffortstoidentifyworkersduringtheirfirstfewyearsatthecompanyanduseswaystoprovidetalentdevelopmentopportunitiestothemtofurtherpreparethemforfutureopeningswithinthecompany.Sometimesthepathaheadiswithinoneofthefourcareerorientations—BusinessIntelligence;NetworksandComputerSystems;Development;andInternetTechnologyandInteractiveMedia.Forexample,recentgradsarehiredintoentry-leveldeveloperpositionsandsomeeventuallywillbepromotedintomoreresponsiblemid-leveldeveloperjobsastheygainskillsandexperienceneededinadvancedpositions.However,dependingontheorganizationsneed,fillingfromwithinforsomepositionswilltargetindividualsoriginallyhiredinoneoftheotherthreeITareasofcareer/skillorientation,orevenworkersfromanotherareaofthecompany.DevelopersmaybedevelopedintoSystemsAnalysts;FinancialAnalystsaredevelopedintoBIAnalystsorManagers,orForensicsexperts,etc.



Companiesalsorelyonothercompanies,vendors,orcommunityprogramstohelpthemprovidetraininganddevelopmentneededtomovetheseemployeesalong.ArecentconveningofHRpersonnelresponsibleforfillingemployerneedsforITtalentbyRITEaskedthemtodiscusswitheachotherhowtheyweremeetingneedstofillmid-levelpositionsingeneralandforsoftwaredevelopersspecifically.Thisisoccurringindifferentways,usingdifferentapproachesacrosstheregion,especiallywithinthelargercompanies.However,overallsuccessisconstrainedbythesizeofcompany,budgets,andthepoolofinternalworkersthatmeetthecriteriasetforinternalpromotion.WhilethisisroutinelyoccurringwithinNEOHIOwithinindividualcompanies,imaginewhataprogramattheleveloftheregiontofurtherdevelopentry-levelworkersformid-leveljobs.Forexample,ifemployersgenerallyexperienceproblemsfillingmid-leveldeveloperjobopenings,whatcouldbedonetoaddressthisproblemotherthanwhatindividualemployersaredoingontheirown?

Whatcanindustry-ledintermediariesdotoorganizearegionalinitiativetobuildthecapacityoftheregionto‘promotefromwithin?Howcantheyassistinpreparingandplacinglesser-experienced,high-performingITworkerstomeetemployerneeds?Whateffortscanaugmentandcoordinatewithwhatemployersalreadyaredoing.

Byunderstandingthecareerpathscommonlytakenbytheregion’sITworkersastheymovefromjobtojob,employertoemployer,orchangepositionswiththesameemployer,wecangaininsightsintokeepingemployersandworkersinsynchwithsupplyanddemand.

Manyoftherecentinitiativestoprovidealternativeeducationandtrainingresourcesandtocreatemoreexperientiallearningopportunitiesinanefforttorespondquicklyandspecificallytoperceivedemployerneedsatthemid-levelaswellasentry-levelshortfallofITworkersintheregion.Asimportantastheseare,theyareexpensivealternativestothepublichighereducationsystemwhichoftenisfaultedasneitherresponsiveorspecificintermsoftheITmajorsandstudentsattractedintotheirprograms.Notallinstitutionsareinterestedorpositionedtoplaysuchanewrole,butshouldnotbeleftoutofconversationsthatshapeearlyeffortstodeterminewhatispossibletoadvanceNEOhioinsolvingthemid-levelskillsgapinIT.Afterall,therearemanyaccelerateddegreeprogramsformid-levelprofessionalandtechnicalworkersinotherdisciplines.Thelargestnumberofpostingsintheregionisformid-levelSoftwareDevelopers.Thesepositionsmaskthediverserangeofrolesandassignmentsemployershavefortheseworkers.Theyvarybyindustryandovertimeastheproblemsposedtodevelopersbecomemorespecializedandcomplex.

Whatistrueforindividualemployersistrueforthe

regionoverall.



Recommendation for Further Research Propervalidationandfurtherperspectivesandlabormarketinsightscanbebestachievedbyconductingasurveyacrosstheregionofarepresentativecross-sectionofITemployers.Thesurveycontentshouldbestructuredaroundthefindings,implicationsandrecommendationsaddressedinthissummaryandtechnicalreport.



Understanding the IT Skills Gap in NE Ohio

LABOR MARKET DATA ANALYTICS + EMPLOYER FEEDBACK = STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE

FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT LEADERS

PREAMBLE

Sincetheearly1990s,NEOHIOleadersacknowledgedtheneedtoaddressthe‘skillsgap’forITjobs.RegionalleadersbeganlaunchingstudiesofthedemandforITtalentinthelate1990sandthefirstfewyearsofthenewcentury.By2007,leadersagainconvenedtoaddresstheITskillsgap.AspartofOhioSkillsBank,newresearcheffortswerelaunched.NorTechandTeamNEOhioledacomprehensivestudyofbothsupplyanddemandforIT,andamajoremployerstudywascompleted.Atthesametimethefirstdatafromonlinejobpostingswerebeingquotedbyeconomicdevelopmentleaders:“Theregionsuffersfromthousandsofjobsnotfilled”inIT.Theinferencewasthatemployersfoundtoofewqualifiedapplicantswhenhiring.1Fast-forwardto2017andthisfirstdefinitivestudyofITSkillsGapprovidedharddatasufficienttoinformactionsaimedtoattacktheshortageoftalentwithinthreetofiveyears

I. Research Goals ThisinvestigationisthefirsttocomprehensivelyinvestigatetheroleofITinsupportingthenortheastOhio(NEOhio)economy,pastandfuture.Itprovidessomewide-ranging,yetin-depth,insightsbasedonanequallydeep-diveintosupplyanddemandofITtalentintheNEOhiolabormarket.Italsodocumentstheregion’sskillsgapforITnewhires,includinginsightintotheneedfortheupskillingofindustriescurrent,experiencedITworkers.Theprimarypurposeofthisinvestigationistoidentifyopportunitiesforgreateralignmentofpostsecondaryeducationandtrainingprogramsaswellastheneedformoreresponsivedeliverymodelslikebootcamps.Demandbyemployersisrapidlychanging:ITworkersnowneedtopossesstheknowledge,skills,andworkexperiencesthatemployersrevealinonlinejobpostings.Thechallengetoprovidingactionablestrategicinformationtoquantifytheskillsgaphasalwaysbeentwo-fold:

§ Needforadeeperunderstandingofskillsinshortsupplyforoccupationsingreatdemand;and,§ Aclearpathtodissectandquantifysourcesofjobseekersforopenpositions.

Uptonow,lessattentionhasbeendevotedtoquantifyingsupplythandemand.Evenlessattentionhas

1Shanahan,J:MovingtheDial:Newly-MinedITLaborMarketAnalyticstoDriveAction,ReportPreparedfortheRITEBoard,February2016.P.1.



beengiventoacknowledgingthatskillgapsvaryacrossIToccupationsandthatalargenumberofvariantsinITeducationandtrainingprogramssuggeststhatnotallITprogramsareequallyeffectiveinpreparingstudentsforjobsemployerscannoteasilyfill.The‘Gap’hasbeenassumedsynonymouswithlargedemandandanecdotalinformationfromemployersexpressingdifficultyinfindingenoughqualifiedapplicants.Thisreporttakesthesechallengeshead-on.First,somebasicsabouttheroleofITintheNEOhioeconomy.

II. Role of IT in the NE Ohio Economy

Informationtechnologysupportseveryindustrysectoroftheeconomy,andisasmallbutcriticalpartofeveryindustry’sworkforce.ThefocusisonskillsneededbyITandotheroccupationsnomattertheindustry.TheInformationindustrysector,ofcourse,isaspecialinstanceinwhichITworkforcedemandiskeenandskillsneededoftendifferfromhowotherindustryandmeettheirITneeds.

1. MSA’sofCleveland,AkronandCantonplusWayneCountyemploynearly38,000ITworkersoutoftotalworkforceof1.7millionjobs.

2. Homeofthethreelargestcities,Cleveland/Cuyahoga,Akron/SummitandCanton/Starkhadthemostjobsduring2016,inthatorder.

3. Thisgeographicregionwaschosenbecauseoftheintensecommutetoworkpatternswhereresidentsliveinonecountyandworkinanother.Combined,thesecountiescontributemostofthejobsforthelargernortheastJobsOhioregion.

4. Comparedtothenation,theNEOhioeconomysupportsfewerITjobswhenexpressedasapercentageoftotaljobsintheregion.Basedonsizeofeconomy,NEOhioshouldemploy15%moreITworkers.



NE Ohio’s industry requires fewer IT workers. Local firms are less technology-based. ThenortheastOhioeconomyisnotSanJose;Seattle;orevenMinneapolis/StPaul.Withacapitalgoodsmanufacturingeconomiclegacyandemergingtechnology-basethatstillisnascent,informationtechnologiesandtherequisiteworkforceissimplynotascriticaltoourglobalcompetitivenessasforthenation.

§ NEOhiocontinuestofallfurtherbehindthenation.§ Between2016and2017,NEOhioITjobsincreasedonly1.9%incomparisonto2.8%forthe

nation.In2016,theseITjobswereonly2.3%ofalljobsinNEOhio.

Where are IT jobs located and where do IT workers live? Theurbancountiesandthecorecitieshavethelargestnumberofjobs(alljobsaswellasITjobs):Cuyahoga,Summit,StarkandLorain.Cuyahoga,despitedecadesofjobdecentralization,stillhas46%ofalljobs.SummitissecondandStarkisthird.TheI-77corridorlinksthesethreejobcenters.IndustrieswhichemploythemostITworkersareevenmoreclusteredalongthiscorridor:Cuyahogawith59%andSummitwith19%ofITjobs.Theremaining20%areprimarilyinStark,LorainandLakeCounties.

Residence of IT Workers Overthedecades,thepopulationhasdecentralizedmoresothanindustry.Asaresult,whereemployedpersonsliveismoreevenlydistributedamongthe10counties.WhileCuyahogaCountyhas46%ofalljobs,itishometoonly38%ofemployedpersons.ThisismoreextremeforITworkers:Cuyahogahas59%ofthejobsbutonly44%ofITworkerslivethere.Incontrast,ITworkerswithinNEOhiomoreoftenliveinCuyahogaandSummitCountiesthanisthecaseforalljobsheldbyemployedpersons.

All Jobs IT Jobs

County Name

Cuyahoga County 46.3% 58.6%Summit County 17.1% 18.8%Stark County 10.3% 5.1%Lorain County 6.5% 4.5%Lake County 6.2% 4.3%Medina County 3.9% 3.0%Portage County 3.8% 3.2%Wayne County 3.1% 1.0%Geauga County 2.4% 1.5%Carroll County 0.5% 0.1%

100.0% 100.0%Source: EMSI Analysis

NEO: Location of All and IT Jobs, by County 2016

Jobs (2016)% Change (2016-

2017)Median Hourly

Earnings

37,918 1.9% $34.14

15% below National average Nation: 2.8% Nation: $39.49/hr

EMSI Analyst

Occupation Summary for 19 Occupations

IT Jobs in the NEO Economy



Journey to Work to Counties Where Jobs Are Onnet,justover159,000moreworkerscommuteintoCuyahogaCountyforajobthancommuteout.ForITworkers,5,848moreITworkerscommuteintoCuyahogathancommuteout.Theyresideinoneoftheotherninecounties.SummitCounty,aswell,hasmoreNEOhioworkerscommutingintothecountythanSummitresidentscommutingouttowork.ForITthisconfirmsthatthetwolargestjobbasesintheregionattractworkersintotheircountiestofindITemployment.AllothercountiesarenetexportersoftheirITworkerstoanyoftheothercounties.ITjobsareclusteredinCuyahogaandSummitwhileITworkersfavorlivinginoneoftheothercounties.TheimportanceofthisinformationisthatpostsecondaryeducationandtrainingproviderswhichtendtoattractstudentsclosetowheretheyarelocatedneedtobeawareoftherealitythatthejobsareinCuyahogaandSummit.

What industries employ IT workers In2016,byfarthemostITworkers—almost12,000wereemployedintheProfessional,Scientific,andTechnologyIndustrygroupemployed.ThreeintenITjobswereinthissectorwhichincludesawidearrayofhigh-endservices

§ LegalServices§ Accounting,TaxPreparation,Bookkeeping,andPayrollServices§ Architectural,Engineering,andRelatedServices§ SpecializedDesignServices§ ComputerSystems

DesignandRelatedServices

§ Management,Scientific,andTechnicalConsultingServices

§ ScientificResearchandDevelopmentServices

§ AdvertisingandRelatedServices

County NameResidence

of All Workers

Residence of IT

WorkersCuyahoga County 37.8% 43.9%Summit County 15.7% 17.0%Stark County 11.3% 7.2%Lorain County 9.0% 8.1%Lake County 7.7% 7.3%Medina County 5.9% 6.2%Portage County 5.3% 5.3%Wayne County 3.6% 1.9%Geauga County 3.0% 2.9%Carroll County 0.6% 0.3%

100.0% 100.0%Source: EMSI Analyst

NEO: Residence of IT Workers by County 2016

Industry IT Jobs in 2016% of All IT Jobs

in NEO

IT Jobs as % of All Jobs in

IndustryProfessional, Scientific, and Technical 11,887 31.3% 13.7%Management of Companies and Enterprises 4,613 12.2% 10.5%Information 3,321 8.8% 16.0%Government 3,292 8.7% 1.5%Manufacturing 3,176 8.4% 1.5%Finance and Insurance 3,125 8.2% 4.9%Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 2,072 5.5% 2.2%

Total 31,486 83.0%Source: EMSI Analyst

NEO: Industries with Most IT Jobs in 2016

County Name2016 Net

Commuters2016 Net

Commuters

Cuyahoga County 159,604 5,848Summit County 28,829 759Stark County (12,838) (757)Lorain County (39,273) (1,338)Lake County (22,732) (1,075)Medina County (30,104) (1,167)Portage County (24,480) (769)Wayne County (6,930) (316)Geauga County (8,872) (516)Carroll County (2,567) (61)

40,637 608Source: EMSI Analyst

NEO: Net Commuting of IT Workers into Each County 2016



ITworkersisamajorpartoftheworkforceforallthesehigh-endservices,mostlyservingotherindustriesascustomers.

§ ComputerSystemsDesignandRelatedServicesishometofirmsprovidingITservicestocustomers.

§ ThesecondmostITworkersareemployedinNEOhioareinholdingcompanies,ordiscretelocationswhereadministrativecorporatefunctionsareperformed.Nomatterthenatureofthebusiness,employmentassociatedwithhandlingthesefunctionsforthefirmisreportedasManagementofCompaniesandEnterprises.HeadquarteredfirmsanddivisionslocatedinNEOhiodrivethedemandforITworkersinthissector.

§ NextareGovernment;Manufacturing;andInformationindustrysectors.Two-thirdsofallITworkersareemployedinthesefiveindustrysectors.NotonthislistisHealthcareServicesandInformationIndustry(mostlySoftwareDevelopers).WhilebothindustriesareimportanttoastudyofITdemand,theycurrentlydonotaccountforasubstantialshareoftheITworkforce.NEOhiohasmajoremployersinbothindustrieswithcustomerreachwellbeyondtheregion.

Industries expected to add the largest numbers of IT workers by 2022 Professionalandbusinessservicessector,notsurprising,areexpectedtoaddthemostadditionalITjobsby2022.ApartialexplanationforwhyITjobsarenotmoreprominentintheNEOhioeconomywhencomparedtothenationisbecauseofalackofoveralljobgrowthinseveralindustrysectorswhichemploylargenumbersofITworkers.GovernmentandManufacturingarenotlikelytoproducesignificantjobgrowthoverallorinITjobsspecifically.ITjobsare20.6%ofalljobsintheInformationindustrywhichincludesSoftwareDevelopers.OnlytheProfessionalandBusinessIndustrySector(whichincludesfirmssupplingITservicestoothers)reliesnearlyasmuchonITworkers(17.1%).However,becauseofitsrelativelysmallsizeintheNEOhioeconomy,Informationemploysonly8.3%oftheregion’semployedITworkers.

Location by County & Metro Area of Ads for IT Workers Even More Skewed OnlinejobpostingsannouncingemployerpotentialneedstohirearemoreskewedinfavorofCleveland/CuyahogaandalongtheI-77corridordowntoCanton.

MetropolitanStatisticalAreaJob

PostingsCleveland-Elyria,OH 80.35%Akron,OH 15.61%Canton-Massillon,OH 4.04%

100.00%

CountyJob

PostingsCuyahoga,OH 73.05%Summit,OH 14.30%Stark,OH 3.98%Lake,OH 2.47%Medina,OH 2.31%Lorain,OH 1.35%Portage,OH 1.14%Wayne,OH 1.11%Geauga,OH 0.28%Carroll,OH 0.01%

100.00%Source:LaborInsightJobs(BurningGlassTechnologies)

NEO:LocationofITJobsPostedLast365Days



§ Seventy-threepercentofallITposts

wereforworkplacesinCleve/CuyahogaCounty—thelargestWorkforceAreainNEOhio,and80%arewithintheCleveland-ElyriaMSA.

§ CuyahogaCountyaloneisthelocationfor73%ofallITpostsforNEOhio.

§ SummitandStarkaccountformostoftherest:18%.

Thisrealitymakesthecommutetoworkproblematicforjobseekerslivinginoutlyingareasoftheregion.EvenSummitCountyispotentiallythelocationfor6%ofalljobspostedforITpositions.Again,allinterestsattemptingtodeterminehowtoaddresstheskillsgapproblemsintheregionneedtounderstandwheretheclusteringofITcareeremploymentopportunitiesisoccurring.Regionalthinkingisneeded.edatedaxiom;‘Thinkregionally,actlocally,stillapplies’.

Further Look at IT Jobs in Demand PostsforSoftwareDeveloper/Engineerareaboutfivetimesmoreprevalentthanthenextmostpostedjob(SystemAnalyst).Severalotheroccupationsthataredeveloperrolesarefoundfurtherdownthelist.Thesereflectamorespecificrole:WebDeveloper;UI/UXDeveloper;MobileApplicationsDeveloperMostoccupationsamongtherestofthetoptenmostpostedarerolesdealingwithdataornetworksystems.OnlyBurningGlassdifferentiatesbetweenanArchitect/DeveloperandanAnalystrolefor

BGTOCC BGTOCC# %

15113100 SoftwareDeveloper/Engineer 4,549 26.3%

15115100 ComputerSupportSpecialist 1,534 8.9%

15112100 SystemsAnalyst 1,393 8.0%

15119902 NetworkEngineer/Architect 1,083 6.3%

15114200 Network/SystemsAdministrator 908 5.2%

15114100 DatabaseAdministrator 838 4.8%

15119995 ITProjectManager 721 4.2%

15119901 SoftwareQAEngineer/Tester 702 4.1%

15113300ComputerSystemsEngineer/Architect 696 4.0%

15113492 WebDeveloper 672 3.9%

15112200Cyber/InformationSecurityEngineer/Analyst 666 3.8%

15113191 ComputerProgrammer 483 2.8%

15119994BusinessIntelligenceArchitect/Developer 336 1.9%

15119993 BusinessIntelligenceAnalyst 317 1.8%

15119900 TechnologyConsultant 254 1.5%

11302100ChiefInformationOfficer/DirectorofInformationTechnology 227 1.3%

15113493 UI/UXDesigner/Developer 196 1.1%

15119912DocumentControl/ManagementSpecialist 195 1.1%

27102400 GraphicDesigner/DesktopPublisher 190 1.1%

15119907 DataWarehousingSpecialist 183 1.1%

15113192 MobileApplicationsDeveloper 180 1.0%

15115200 Network/SystemsSupportSpecialist 161 0.9%

15204102ClinicalDataSystemsSpecialist/Manager 153 0.9%

27304200 TechnicalWriter 123 0.7%

15119906 DatabaseArchitects 110 0.6%

15111191 DataScientist 101 0.6%

15114301TelecommunicationsEngineeringSpecialists 77 0.4%

13119902 SecurityManagementSpecialists 76 0.4%

15119910SearchEngineOptimizationSpecialist 67 0.4%

15114191 DataEngineer 34 0.2%

43901100 ComputerOperator 25 0.1%

27101400 MultimediaDesigner/Animator 24 0.1%

15119903 Webmaster/Administrator 17 0.1%

15113491 WebDesigner 16 0.1%

15111100 ComputerScientist 15 0.1%

AllIT 17,322 100.0%Source:LaborInsightJobs(BurningGlassTechnologies)

JobPostings

NEO:TotalAdsinITOccupationsduringLast365DaysasofJune26,2017



BusinessIntelligence.WhileO*Nethas28separatetitlesforIToccupations,BurningGlasshas34forwhichtherewerejobpostsinthelast365daysinNEOhio.

Top Job Titles in IT Ads Appearingmostinjobadsaretitleswith‘Developer’or‘Engineer’asthenoun.‘Analyst’isnextmostfrequentlyusednouninactualjobtitles.ThisreflectstherealitythatDeveloper/EngineerandSystemsAnalystaretwoofthetopthreeoccupationslinkedtoITjobads.ComputerSupportSpecialistssubsumemanyactualjobtitleswithonlyafewamongtop30.Thisoccupationaggregatesmanyjobtitleswithsmallernumbersofads.Thissupport-relatedoccupationtitleincludesaquitediversesetofjobdutiesforsupportworkersindifferentITenvironments.Together,these30jobtitlesaccountforonly36%ofallITads.

Title JobPostings

Title JobPostings

SoftwareDevelopmentEngineer 657 HelpDeskAnalyst 161ApplicationsDeveloper 430 DatabaseAdministrator 154SystemsEngineer 369 Programmer/Analyst 150NetworkEngineer 354 NetworkAdministrator 144JavaSoftwareDeveloper 323 GraphicDesigner 138SoftwareDeveloper 321 InformationTechnologyBusiness 131WebDeveloper 309 ApplicationsAnalyst 121.NetDeveloper 284 InformationTechnologyProject 117SystemsAdministrator 262 SQLDeveloper 116BusinessSystemsAnalyst 246 DataEntrySpecialist 109DataEntryClerk 232 InformationTechnologyAnalyst 104ApplicationsEngineer 199 InformationTechnologyManager 97QualityAssuranceAnalyst 187 OracleDeveloper 97SystemsAnalyst 184 DataEntry 90SolutionsArchitect 169 ApplicationsArchitect 87Source:LaborInsightJobs(BurningGlassTechnologies)

NEOhio:TopITJobTitlesinAdsduringLast365Days



Employers with the Most IT Job Postings Last 365 Days Ending June 26

§ TheemployerswiththemostITpostingsarefamiliarnamesandarefromdifferentindustries.

§ Afewlargeemployerseachpostedseveralhundredpositionsduring2015.

§ SeveralofthesearemembersoftheRITEBoard:ProgressiveInsurance;ClevelandClinic;Sherwin-Williams;Eaton;andHylandSoftware.

§ Thisinformationcanbeusefulforearlyengagementofemployerstodiscussimprovingtheiraccesstoqualifiedtalent.

Industries with Most IT Job Ads Professional,Scientific,&TechnicalServicessectorhad31%ofallITjobsin2016and39%ofalljobadsinthelast365days,datingbacktoJuly2016.FinanceandManufacturingsectorsarenextwith17%and12%ofallads.ThisdiffersfromthesectorswiththesecondandthirdmostITjobsin2016:JobsincorporateheadquartersandholdingcompaniesandtheInformationSectorwhichhasonly4%ofalljobads.2

III. Jobs In-Demand Outnumber Qualified Jobseekers = Skills Gap Numericskillgapsbetweensupplyanddemandresultsinemployersrecruitingoutsidetheregion,or

2Atthistime,firmsinthesetopthreesectorsarewherethegreatestdemandtohireappearstobe.Only66%ofalladscanbelinkedtoaspecificindustry.Someadsareblindastoemployerorindustryandmaybepostedbyrecruitingbusinesses.Itisnotpossibletoknowiftheseemployersaremorelikelytobefromacertainindustry,soitispossiblethattheindustrypatternobservedhassomebias.However,itisreflectiveofthemajorityofadspostedandisthebestinformationwehaveaboutITdemandtodayincomparisontowhereithasbeen.

Employer

Job

Postings Employer

Job

Posting

Deloitte 402 BestBuy 93Accenture 391 AmtrustFinancialServicesIncorporated 92ThePNCFinancialServicesGroup,Inc. 279 Progressive 78SherwinWilliams 265 Diebold 77Keycorp 175 WindstreamCommunications 73ProgressiveInsurance 170 TheJ.M.SmuckerCompany 72ClevelandClinic 145 Endevis 58RockwellAutomationIncorporated 117 MedicalMutual 58UniversityHospitals 114 NewYorkCommunityBank 53AmtrustNorthAmerica 103 Hyland 51

Eaton 47Source:LaborInsightJobs(BurningGlassTechnologies)

Note:54%ofrecordshavebeenexcludedbecausetheydonotincludeanemployer.

NEO:EmployerswithMostAdsforITJobsLast365Days,asofJune26,2017

IndustryJob

PostingsProfessional,Scientific,andTechnicalServices(54) 38.64%FinanceandInsurance(52) 17.32%Manufacturing(31-33) 11.81%AdministrativeandSupportandWasteManagementandRemediationServices(56)7.82%RetailTrade(44-45) 6.20%HealthCareandSocialAssistance(62) 5.94%Information(51) 4.00%

91.73%Source:LaborInsightJobs(BurningGlassTechnologies)

66%ofAllAdsrevealIndustryofEmployers

NEO:IndustrieswithMostITAdsLast365Days



acceptinglessthanpreferredqualificationsfromtheapplicantpool.Ideally,employersshouldbeabletosatisfyhiringneedsfromjobseekersalreadylivingintheregion.Manyemployersreportlittledifficultyfillingpositionswhentheyexpandtheirsearchtoincluderecruitingfromoutsidethelocalregion.Theseworkerseithercommuteinto,orrelocateto,NEOhio.ItispossibleforworkerslivinginadjacentareasofNEOHIOtodosobutthepoolislimitedinnumberandjourneytoworkdatarevealonlylimitednumbersofallworkerscommutingintoNEOhiofromadjacentareas.However,theserecruitingmethodscanbequiteexpensiveandtimeconsuming.Thegoalofregionalworkforce(talent)developmentistoquickenthepaceofeffortstoattackskillgapsbyincreasingandimprovingthesupplyofNEOhioworkers.CanhighereducationandvocationalandtechnicaltrainingprovidersinNEOhioplayagreaterroleinincreasingthenumbersofqualifiedjobapplicantswiththeskillsandcredentialsemployerswant,andconnectthemwithjobsinrealtime?Whatdoweneedtoknowabouttheskillsgapforthattohappen?Thisseminarstudyhopefullywillinformstrategiesandactionsthatproduceresultswithin2to4years.

IV. Methodology: An Innovative Approach Using Big Data Analytics Threemajorsourcesofdataareusedtomeasuredemandandsupply:BurningGlass’Labor/Insights3forlaboranalyticsondemand;IPEDs4forthemostcomprehensivesourceofdataonrecentcompletersofpost-secondaryandvocationaleducationandtraining;andproprietarydatapurchasedfromBurningGlassonpostsecondaryprogramsdesignedtopreparestudentsforcareeremploymentinITmatchedwithdetaileddataonITdemandbyoccupationanddata-basedestimatesofthenumericgapbetweenannualjobpostingsandannualcompletersfromcollegeandvocationalprograms.Thiscalculationisdoneforeachoccupation:AnAImodelsisusedtocomparethelearningoutcomesofeachITprogramagainstseveralsourcesofdataonskillsandknowledgerequiredtoperformtheoccupationwell.IfthereisastrongdegreeofoverlapbetweenstudentlearningoutcomesandtheoccupationsskillsetthentheprogramidentifiedasonethatgenerallypreparesstudentswelltodoITjobsassignedtotheoccupationaltitle.Eachofnearly40programsareassessedforeachofnearly40IToccupations.Theresultisamuch

3 Adirectinvestigationofjobsemployerspostonlineprovidesamorecompletepictureofjobsindemandastheyemergeandchange.BurningGlassidentifiesemployerswithhighdemandforworkersandoccupationswiththemostopeningsandrevealsdetailsaboutemployers’demandforskillsandcredentials.BurningGlasshascompiledadatabaseofover150millionjoblistings,updateddailyfromroughly40,000websitesnation-wide.Thedatabaseincludeslistingsfrommajorjobboards,newspapers,governmentagencies,andabroadarrayofsmall,medium,andlargeemployers—solongastheyareplacedonline.Thesitescapturedincludeastrongrepresentationofthesmallbusinessesdrivingeconomicrecovery;51percentofsitesminedproduce20orfewerjobs.Mostsitesareemployersites.Also,BurningGlassleveragespatentedtextminingtocode70-plusdataelementstorenderdetailedskills-levelintelligenceonwhoishiringandwhere,whatjobsareindemand,andwhatskillsandcredentialsemployersnowrequireforthosejobs.4IntegratedPostsecondaryEducationDataSystemistheprimarysourceforinformationonU.S.colleges,universities,andtechnicalandvocationalinstitutions.ThecompletionofallIPEDSsurveys,inatimelyandaccuratemanner,ismandatoryforallinstitutionsthatparticipateinorareapplicantsforparticipationinanyFederalfinancialassistanceprogramauthorizedbyTitleIVoftheHigherEducationAct(HEA)of1965.IPEDSrespondstocertainoftherequirementspursuanttoSection421(a)(1)oftheCarlD.PerkinsVocationalEducationAct.Thedatarelatedtovocationalprogramsandprogramcompletionsarecollectedfrompostsecondaryinstitutionsknowntoprovideoccupationallyspecificvocationaleducation.



morecross-matchingofprogramstooccupations,andviceversa.Further,thisanalysisisperformedforthetwolevelsofeducationalattainment—BachelorsormoreandAssociatesorshorterpostsecondaryprogram.UsingdatapurchasedfromBurningGlassprovidedadefinitivematchingofITprogramsbyClassificationofInstructionalProgram(CIP)wherestudentslearnthecoreskillsnowrequiredbyemployerswhenhiringforeachoccupation.Thislevelofnuancehasnotbeenavailablebeforeindiscussionsaboutpooralignmentofsupplywithwhatemployersneed.Theresult:skillsthatadeveloperneedsarenotthesameasforaNetworkSystemsAdministrator,forexample.Also,purchasedfromBurningGlassaretheestimatesofdemandversussupplyofworkersforeachIToccupation.Thisisbasedonthenumberofjobopeningspostedandthesupplyofrecentcompletersfromprograms.Combined,thesetwodataanalyticsdocumentthenumericgapsforNEOhio.Thesefindingsandimplicationsformedasinglesourceofharddatathatprovidesawellspringofinformationthatemployers,educators,workforceboards,andregionalintermediariescanexploretogetherandcreateagreementonactionstoimprovethealignmentofdemandandsupplyinthenextthreetofiveyears.

V. Skills In-demand & Implications for Job Seekers: What Job Seekers Need for Occupational Opportunities

Top Skills Appearing Across All IT Online Postings Mostbutnotalljobadsspecifyskillsthatemployersseekfromapplicants.Infact,during2015onlytwenty-threepercentofallonlineadsdidnotspecifyasingleskill.Theseareforlow-skilljobs,especiallypart-timeortemporarypositionsingeneral.ButIToccupationshavethemostskillslistedofanyoccupationalfamily,includingEngineeringandScientists.Byisolatingskillsappearingthemostinjobpostings,wegaininsightintowhatskillsjobseekersmustpossesstocompete.Therearethreewaystoorganizedemandforskillsthatappearinjobads.5

1. Customizedtospecificoccupationsandthenatureofjobassignments.Thesearetechnicalskillsstipulatedbyemployers.Examples:accounting;weldingormachining(asskillsnotjobs);andpatientcare.

2. SoftwareandProgrammingskills,whichcanberequiredinnon-ITjobsaswell.Mostoccupationstodayrequiresomeoftheseskills.

5 Burning Glass Technologies, Labor/Insight

Nearly40differentCIPsarematchedagainstnearly40IT

occupationstodeterminewhichprogramspreparestudentsforeach

occupation.



3. BaselineorEmployabilityskills,orwhatisoftencalled‘soft’ornon-technicalskills.JobsfortheFutureandothersrefertotheseskillsasEmployabilityskills.Thesearenotthetypical‘showupontime’workplaceattributes.Rathertheseareskillsmentionedinjobadsaremoregermanetosuccessfulperformanceonthejob.Theseincludecommunication,writing,problemsolvingskills,etc.

Knowingwhatskillsappearmostofteninjobadsenablesproductivediscussionaboutrequiredorcoreskillsworkersshouldacquireearlyon. InITspecificsoftware,languages,andprogrammingtoolsappearasbothSpecifictoanoccupationandalsoasaSoftware&ProgrammingSkill.ThesearehighlightedinSpecializedSkillslisting.

§ SQListhemostcommonlanguageneededacrossallIToccupations;thestandardlanguageforcommunicatingwithdatabases.

§ SecondmostoftenlistedareProjectManagement;SoftwareDevelopment;andCustomerService.Obviously,thesethreearenothighonthelistofabilitiesappearinginalltheIToccupationsreviewedearlier.Somerequiremoreofwhatisknownasproductivitydigitalskills:MicrosoftOfficeapplications;yetothersneedpopularprogramminglanguageslikeMicrosoftC#;JAVA;JavaScript;or.NETProgramming;etc.

§ BaselineskillsmostidentifiedimportantforITworkerstopossessare:Communication;Troubleshooting;ProblemSolvingandWriting.

Thisinformationaloneprovidesastartingpointforclarifyingthenatureoflearningoutcomesthateducationandtrainingprogramsshouldshare,nomatterwhatdifferentiatesthem.ThetopBaselineskillswon’tvarymuchacrossIToccupationsand,yet,notoftenareembeddedsufficientlyintocurriculumwithmeasurablelearningoutcomes.

VI. Skills Gap = Jobs In-Demand > Outnumber Qualified Jobseekers Asnotedtherewereover17,000ITjobpostingsinNEOHIO’slabormarketduringthelast365days.

SpecializedSkillsJob

PostingsBaseline(Employability)

SkillsJob

Postings Software&ProgrammingSkillsJob

PostingsSQL 25.19% CommunicationSkills 36.54% SQL 25.19%ProjectManagement 17.00% Troubleshooting 25.83% JAVA 13.86%SoftwareDevelopment 16.62% ProblemSolving 25.55% MicrosoftC# 12.94%CustomerService 14.17% Writing 24.74% MicrosoftOffice 12.86%JAVA 13.86% TeamWork/Collaboration 17.16% Oracle 12.18%TechnicalSupport 13.19% Planning 16.73% JavaScript 11.81%MicrosoftC# 12.94% Research 12.82% .NETProgramming 10.82%MicrosoftOffice 12.86% OrganizationalSkills 11.53% MicrosoftExcel 10.48%Oracle 12.18% Detail-Oriented 10.73%JavaScript 11.81%.NETProgramming 10.82%MicrosoftExcel 10.48%Source:LaborInsightJobs(BurningGlassTechnologies)

NEOhio:TopSkills/ExpertiseListedinAdsforAllITPostingslast365Days



Wheredoapplicantscomefrom?Skillsindemandbyemployersarefluid,constantlychangingandvarywidelyacrossoccupationsindemand.Asaresult,theoccupationsexperiencingatalentorskillsgapchangesovertimeandregion-to-region.IfNEOhiopostsecondarycareereducationandtrainingsystemsaretoaligntechnicalprogramswithemployerdemand,itisimportanttohaveharddataonwhichoccupationshaveaskillsgap,whatlevelofeducationandpriorworkexperienceemployersseek,andwhatspecificprogramsbestpreparestudentstoperformwellonthejob.Evenforthesameoccupation,jobadsmightbeseekingsenior-level,

experiencedmid-level,orlessexperiencedentry-levelapplicants.Thisdependsonthenatureandlevelofresponsibilityofpositionsinwhichthey

considerhiring.Inthelast365days,therewereover17,000onlinepostingsactiveatsomepointduringtheyear.Notallresultinnewhires,andthosethatdooccuroveravariabletimeframe.

§ Aportionofhiresoccurwithoutaposting.§ Somepostingsareeasyforemployerstofillandsomeareextremelydifficult.Italldependson

jobrequirementssetbyemployersandthereadysupplyofqualifiedapplicants.§ OnlineadsforITprofessionalshavethemostskillslistedinadsofalloccupations—typicallyover

20perad.Harddataonhiresbyoccupationisnotcentrallycollected.Wecanassumethatemployershaveanintent,orlikelihood,ofhiringwhengoingtotheexpenseofpostingjobs.But,circumstanceschangeandtimelinesslip.

CaveatswhenusingjobpostingsasindicatorofemployerhiringactivityNotalljobpostingsresultinnewhires,andthosethatdooccuroveravariabletimeframe.

§ Aportionofhiresoccurwithoutaposting.§ Somepostingsareeasyforemployerstofilland

someareextremelydifficult.Italldependsonjobrequirementssetbyemployersandthereadysupplyofqualifiedapplicants.

§ OnlineadsforITprofessionalshavethemostskillslistedinadsofalloccupations—typicallyover20perad.

Whileemployersintendtohirenewworkersforjobstheypost,notallpostedpositionsresultinhires:§ Uncertaintyinthemarketplaceresultsin

applicantsnotbeinghired.§ Howmanyofthesearefilleddependson

severalthings:Findingtherightapplicants;budgetneededtohire;needtofillpositionsremainsfirm;andmore.

§ Someemployersuseonlinepostingssimplytotestthewatersandgetareadonthetalentseekingnewjobs.

Prioryearsofworkexperienceismoreimportantthanlevelofeducationwhendeterminingwheretolookforqualifiedsupplyofjobseekers.



Aligning Demand with Potential Sources of Talent Supply QuantifyingshortagesofITsupplytofillopenpositionsisbestunderstood,notbyIToccupationalone,butbysegmentingjobopeningsbyentry-levelandmid-leveldemand.Thisismoreimportantthanthejobalone.Experienceofapplicantsismoreimportantthaneducationinthesearchtoenumeratesupply.Thisstartswithunderstandingmoreaboutdemandmeasuredbyreal-timeonlinejobpostings.BREAKINGDOWNITJOBADS—ATTHEPOINTOFSOLICITINGAPPLICANTS,EMPLOYERSUSEEDUCATIONANDPRIORWORKEXPERIENCEASTHETWOBESTINDICATIONSOFAPPLICANTQUALIFICATIONS.

§ Intermsofeducation,theyexpresspreferencesformajorsandlevelofeducationcredentialsinjobads.

§ Intermsofworkexperience,mostITjobadsseekexperiencedworkerswithatleastthreetofive

yearsofrelevantjobexperience.Overhalfofalladsareseekingtofillthesemid-leveljobs.AdstofindseniorpersonneltypicallywanttohireworkerswithsixormoreyearsinITand/ortheemployers’industry—Fifty-ninepercentofallSoftwareDeveloperadsbut51%forallotherITOccupations.

§ EveninIT,25%ofalladsinviteapplicants

withnomorethan2yearsofrelevantworkexperience.ThispercentagevariesdramaticallyamongIToccupations.From65%forComputerSupportSpecialiststo9%ofDatabaseArchitects.

§ Occupationsarerankedtoptobottombythepercentofpostsrequiringonly0to2yearsofprior

workexperience.

§ Overall,24%ofallITpostsqualifyasentrylevelforjobseekerswithlittlepriorexperience.

§ Thefirstfouroccupationsrequiretheleastproficiencywithcomputerskills,generallynoprogrammingskillsandonlyabasicabilitytoworkwithsoftwareapplications.

ExperienceLevel # % # %9+years 226 6.40% 701 7.01%6to8years 582 16.49% 1,648 16.48%3to5years 2,072 58.70% 5,113 51.12%0to2years 650 18.41% 2,539 25.39%TotalAdswithData 3,530 100.00% 10,001 100.00%NotSpecified 1,832 34.17% 5,728 36.42%TotalAds 5,362 15,729Source:LaborInsightJobs(BurningGlassTechnologies)

SoftwareDevelopers AllOtherITOccupations

NEO:PriorWorkExperienceandDemandforITWorkers--SoftwareDevelopersVsAllOthers



§ Theoppositeistruefortheoccupationshighlightedintan.Agreaterthanaverageshareofadsrequiringnomorethantwoyearsofexperience,but,theseoccupationsrequiremoreITskills,greatercompetenciesandmostrequireaBachelor’sdegree.

§ Theremainderareoccupationsrequiringsignificantpriorworkexperienceandeducation,andarejobscarryinggreaterlevelsofresponsibility.

OCCUPATIONSWITHMOSTENTRY-LEVELOPENINGS

§ 42%ofalljobspostedforentry-leveljobseekersareforComputerSupportSpecialistandSoftwareDeveloper/Engineer.

§ SystemsAnalyst,DataEntry

Clerk,Network/SystemsAdministrator,Cyber/InformationSecurityEngineer/Analyst,SoftwareQAEng./Tester,andDatabaseAdministrationProvideanother31%ofallopenings.

ThefourintenITadsthatrequirenomorethantwoyearsofpriorworkexperienceareeitherComputerSupportSpecialistorSoftwareDeveloper/Engineer.Over600adsareforthisdeveloperpositionalone.SystemAnalystranksthirdwith262adsforentry-level,inexperiencedapplicants.

EntryLevel=0to2YearsofPriorWorkExperience

TotalJobsPosted=3,207

BGTOCCCode

BGTOCC #Entry-Levelas%OfAll

# %43902100 DataEntryClerk 167 5.2% 200 83.5%15115100 ComputerSupportSpecialist 699 21.8% 1,072 65.2%43901100 ComputerOperator 12 0.4% 22 54.5%27101400 MultimediaDesigner/Animator 12 0.4% 22 54.5%15204102 ClinicalDataSystemsSpecialist/ 76 2.4% 154 49.4%15119903 Webmaster/Administrator 7 0.2% 16 43.8%15115200 Network/SystemsSupportSpecialist 44 1.4% 102 43.1%15113192 MobileApplicationsDeveloper 34 1.1% 84 40.5%27102400 GraphicDesigner/DesktopPublisher 40 1.2% 106 37.7%15114191 DataEngineer 3 0.1% 8 37.5%17206100 HardwareEngineer 11 0.3% 33 33.3%15113491 WebDesigner 3 0.1% 9 33.3%15114301 TelecommunicationsEngineering 22 0.7% 72 30.6%15119900 TechnologyConsultant 67 2.1% 224 29.9%15111191 DataScientist 15 0.5% 58 25.9%15119901 SoftwareQAEngineer/Tester 135 4.2% 531 25.4%15119993 BusinessIntelligenceAnalyst 60 1.9% 241 24.9%15113493 UI/UXDesigner/Developer 24 0.7% 103 23.3%15112200 Cyber/InformationSecurityEngineer/ 146 4.6% 628 23.2%15112100 SystemsAnalyst 262 8.2% 1,155 22.7%15114200 Network/SystemsAdministrator 159 5.0% 721 22.1%15113191 ComputerProgrammer 71 2.2% 358 19.8%15113492 WebDeveloper 94 2.9% 508 18.5%15113100 SoftwareDeveloper/Engineer 652 20.3% 3,602 18.1%13119902 SecurityManagementSpecialists 11 0.3% 61 18.0%15114100 DatabaseAdministrator 122 3.8% 695 17.6%15113300 ComputerSystemsEngineer/Architect 73 2.3% 600 12.2%15119902 NetworkEngineer/Architect 95 3.0% 850 11.2%15119907 DataWarehousingSpecialist 13 0.4% 130 10.0%15119994 BusinessIntelligenceArchitect/ 16 0.5% 178 9.0%15111100 ComputerScientist 2 0.1% 27 7.4%15119995 ITProjectManager 50 1.6% 736 6.8%15119906 DatabaseArchitects 5 0.2% 96 5.2%

11302100ChiefInformationOfficer/DirectorofInformationTechnology

5 0.2% 194 2.6%

Total 3,207 13,596 23.6%

Source:LaborInsightJobs(BurningGlassTechnologies)

JobPostings

YearsofExperience

0to2

NEO:Entry-LevelJobsAcrossAllITOccupationsMostIn-Demand,2016

AllAdsListingWorkExperience



Likewise,adsvaryintermsofeducationrequirements:BachelorsormoreversuslessthanaBachelorsbutmorethanhighschoolcredential.Fromalowof9%forSoftwareDeveloperstoahighof65%forComputerSupportSpecialistinwhichemployersspecifythatlessthanaBachelor’sdegreeistheminimumlevelofeducationalcredentialexpectedfromapplicants.ForITadsoverall,18%willacceptlessthanaBachelors.ToquantifytheskillsgapforITtalent,wemustcreatearesearchdesignthatdissectsITdemandforeachIToccupationbylevelofeducationcredentialandprioryearsofworkexperience.“IndividualsemergingfromITeducationandtrainingprograms”atisthebestwaytodefineapoolofpotentialjobseekerswithskillsacquiredthroughformaleducationratherthanfromworkexperience.

Supply of IT workers for entry-level jobs

Entry-level jobs are the best prospects for recent college grads, most of whom will not come with significant prior work experience.

AccordingtoWillMarkowatBurningGlass:

“Mostemployersspecify3-5yearsbecausetheydonotwantanentry-levelworker.Theyarelesslikelytohirerecentcollegegradswithnopriorworkexperienceinwhichtheyhonedtheseskillsonthejob.But,demandingnewhireswithrelatedjobexperienceconstrainstheirtraditionalsourcingoptionstoeitherchurninthelocalexistingworkforce–whichfromaregionalperspectiveisazero-sumsolution–orhiringworkersfromoutsidetheregion.Someofthemoreforward-thinkingemployerswillsourceworkersfromrelated,yetdistinct,occupationsorbackgroundsandprovidethemwithtraining(e.g.hiringanetworkadministratorforacybersecurityrole).However,Ithinkthatisstilltheexceptiontotherule.”

MostyoungpeopleandtransitioningadultswhoentercollegeITprogramsdosoinanefforttostartorshiftcareerpaths.Theylacksignificant,ifany,priorworkexperienceperformingdutiesneededtodaybyemployersseekingtofilljobs.UponcompletionofITprograms,thesestudents,atbest,meetemployerdemandforentry-levelpositions.Churnisconsideredhealthyfortheeconomy—workerspursuecareerchangeoradvancementbychangingemployersandfirmscanimplementchangesinjobassignmentsandreplaceless-productiveworkerstoimprovefirmcompetitiveness.Becauseofworkersvacatingpreviousjobs:“TheclearmajorityofhiringintheU.S.isdrivenbytheneedtoreplaceworkerswholeaveonejobforanother…thisjobtojobmovementisknownaslabormarket

BachelorsandAbove LessthanaBachelors

0to2Years

3to5Years

MinimumLevelofEducationCredential

GuidetoIdentifyingLaborMarketSupply

RecentCompletersofEducation&Training

ExperienceITWorkforce

SourceofSupplyPriorWorkExperience



churn.”6

VII. Nailing down an empirical definition of Skills Gap for entry-level jobs

So,thequestionisthis:isthefullspectrumofprovidersofNEOhiopostsecondaryeducationandtrainingproducingenoughbadges,certificateanddegreecompleterseachyeartomeettheentry-leveldemandforITprofessionals?

§ TheNEOhioITSkillsGapbetweendemandandsupplyfocusesondemandforentry-levelITnewhires.Todeterminesupplyweanalyzetheannualsupplyofgradsfromprogramsthatimbuecompleterswithskillsemployersnowdemand.NEOhiocollegesanduniversitiesandotherprovidersoftechnicaleducationarethesourceofgrads.ThebestsinglesourceofcomprehensivedataoncompletersbyprogramisknownasIPEDs.Thisrequiressubmissionofsuchdatafromallinstitutionsandorganizations,publicorprivate,thathavereceiveddesignationasTitleIVproviderwhichpermitsthemtoaccessfederalfinancialaidforqualifyingstudents.

§ Asaresult,thegapcanbeoneofquantity(grads)orquality(specificmajor),orboth.

§ Analysisofsupplywillbeunderstatedtotheextentthatlargenumbersofcurrentandfuture

workersobtainenrollandcompletethenew,alternativedeliverysystemsfortheirtechnicaltraining;programsthatdonotneedtoreporttheirdataforinclusioninIPEDs.

ImprovingthesupplyofITtalentisabouttalentdevelopment

§ Theregion’scapacityforimprovinganexistingandemergentworkforcerestswiyhthevery

entitiesthatmakeupoureducationandworkforcesystems:postsecondaryeducation(especiallycollegesanduniversities);thepublicworkforcesystem(fundedbyfederalandstateresources);economicdevelopmentorganizations;andothermajoreffortstosupporttalentdevelopment.Thecapacitytopreparefutureyoungandtransitioningworkersforcareeremploymentopportunitiesindemandisgaugedbytheaggregateproductionofcompletersfromsuchprograms.

§ Greateralignmentandpartnershipamongtheseregionalworkforcedevelopmentpartnersisvital

tohasteningthepaceofimprovingworkforcequalityforemployers.

6CareerbuilderandEMSI,ThePulseofU.S.HiringActivity:LaborMarketChurnbyOccupation&Metro,http://www.economicmodeling.com/2014/12/02/the-slowdown-in-job-churn-explained-and-visualized/



Skillsgapquantified

§ Mostrecentcollegegraduateshavelimitedworkexperienceapplyingtheskillstheyjustlearnedincollege.

§ Realisticallythen,onlyjobspostedwhereemployersarewillingtohirenewworkerswithlimitedpriorexperiencearetrulyavailabletorecentcollegegrads.

§ Formanyskilledmanufacturingjobs,however,itmaybethatemployersexpecttohireworkers

withjobexperience,overthosejustcompletingvocationalortechnicaltraining.

VIII. Detailed Findings: IT Occupations with Skills Gap

Entry-Level IT job Openings in NE OHIO-–those requiring no more than 2 years prior work experience WeresearchedtheabilityofNEOhiohighereducationtoproduceITgradsinthesameyearasjobadsareactive(2015).

§ AgapexistswhenbreakingdowndemandandsupplybyBachelorsormoreversuslessthanBachelors.

§ SeparategapanalysiswasprovidedbyBurningGlassforITpostingsthatwantaBachelorsor

moreandthoseacceptinglessthanaBachelors.

§ AnumericgapinnumbersofITgradstojobadsforentrylevelITwasextremelylarge.TherearethreetotenadsforeverygradfromITprograms,dependingontheoccupation.AgapexistsforoccupationsifthereareatleasttwiceasmanyjobpostingsascompletersemergingfromNEOHIOsourcesofITeducationandtrainingduring2015.

MOSTINTENSEGAPSATTHEBACHELORSLEVEL:

§ GiventhenumberofgradsfrommajorswithlearningoutcomesthatgenerallypreparethemforthetoptenIToccupationswithunmetdemand,thereisonlyonegradforevery5.8postingsforentry-leveljobs.

§ Theshortageisevenmoredramaticforthefouroccupations:ComputerSupportSpecialists,SoftwareDeveloper/Engineer,WebDeveloper,andDatabaseAdministrator.

There are three to ten ads for every grad from IT programs.



ü Therewere30jobadsforSoftwareDeveloper/Engineerpositionsduring2015foreverygradfromanITBachelorsprogramthatemphasizesdevelopmentofsoftware(theprimaryjobdutyisdesignandimplementationofsoftwareapplications).ThisgapisontheextremeendofthecontinuumofsupplyshortageemergingfromNEOHIOeducationandtrainingsystems.

ü SystemsAnalystjobpostingsoutnumbercompletersfrommatchingITprogramsby4to1.Theseverityofthegapislessbutimportanttoresolve.

§ ITprogramsdifferinnatureand

priorityconcerninglearningoutcomes.Thenearly40distinctITprogramswithvariedlearningobjectivesarenotequallyeffectiveatdevelopingskillsemployersnowneedwhenhiring.ItdependsonthespecificneedsandhowtheyvaryacrossIToccupations.Forexample,knowledgeandabilitiesofprogramminglanguagesandmethodsandapplicationsaremoreimportantfortherangeofdeveloperoccupationsthanforjobsinnetworksandcomputersystems.ThereareotherspecificITprogramsthatemphasislearninghowtoworkinthisareaofIT.

§ Thenumericgapsaretoolargeto

breechinafewyearseveniflargenewinvestmentsintopostsecondarycapacitytoenrollandgraduateadditionalsupplyweremade.ITgradnumbershavebeenflatoverlastfiveyearsforNEOhio.

§ NewIToccupationswithatleast100adsareComputerProgrammerandNetworkEngineer/Architect

The numeric gaps are too large to breech in a few years.

JobsPostings

for

AnnualGradsfromBachelor's

UnmetDemandforEntry-levelDemandforITjobs15-1151.00 ComputerSupportSpecialist 506 6115-1131.00 SoftwareDeveloper/Engineer 976 3215-1121.00 SystemsAnalyst 329 7615-1142.00 Network/SystemsAdministrator 187 4015-1122.00 Cyber/InformationSecurityEngineer/Analyst 197 3515-1199.01 SoftwareQAEngineer/Tester 187 3115-1141.00 DatabaseAdministrator 161 2215-1134.92 WebDeveloper 148 2315-1131.91 ComputerProgrammer 107 3215-1199.02 NetworkEngineer/Architect 102 43

15-2041.02 ClinicalDataSystemsSpecialist/Manager 89 3315-1133.00 ComputerSystemsEngineer/Architect 73 3315-1199.00 TechnologyConsultant 83 2015-1199.95 ITProjectManager 65 4315-1143.01 TelecommunicationsEngineeringSpecialists 19 1815-1199.94 BusinessIntelligenceArchitect/Developer 27 22

3257 564Source:Supply/DemandCalculator(BurningGlassTechnologies)

BGTOcc

NEOITOccupations:Entry-levelAdsAreMoreThanTwicetheNumberofGradsfortheYear2015

Entry-level=0to2YearsofWorkExperienceGradsfromITBachelorsProgramsinRatiotoOpeningsPreferringa

BachelorsNumbersGap

BGOccupationTitle



§ Forthissetof16occupations,

entry-leveljobadsoutnumberedthenumberofgradssixtoone.

SHORTAGEOFGRADSATCERTIFICATE&ASSOCIATELEVELSTheannualgradsatCertificateandAssociatelevelsfallshortofdemandforentry-levelopenings.Whileahighschoolcredentialisminimallyacceptableformanyofthesejobads,atleastarelevantcertificateisneeded—thiscouldbelearnedinahighschoolcareeracademyorpostsecondaryinstitution.ComputerSupportSpecialisttopsthelistandtypicallydoesnotrequireaBachelors.Typically,theotheroccupationsrequireaBachelors;Adsforthesepositionsarerelativelysmall.WHATABOUTTHEREMAININGITOCCUPATIONS?EightoccupationshavefewjobpostingsaskingforaBachelor’sdegree.Intotal236adswerepostedduring2015and197gradsfromITprogramsthatgenerallypreparestudentsforthesejobs.Mostly,foreachoftheseoccupationsthereareaboutanequalnumberofgrads.Basedonnumbersalone,employersshouldnothavedifficultyfindingqualifiedjobseekersamongrecentgraduates.TheoneexceptionisforMobileApplicationDeveloper,whichlikemostdeveloperjobshasnearlytwiceasmanyopeningsasgrads.

ToomanygradswithBachelor’sdegrees?ComputerScientistsandWebDesigneradswereveryfewand,consequently,programsspecificallytargetedthesecareerjobsaregraduatingmorethanenoughtomeetemployerdemand.

3257 1128

JobsPostings

for

AnnualGradsfromBachelor's

OverSupplyofGraduates15-1199.93 BusinessIntelligenceAnalyst 100 83515-1111.00 ComputerScientist 5 1015-1111.91 DataScientist 16 126415-1134.91 WebDesigner 16 59

138 2168AboutRightBalance

15-1134.93 UI/UXDesigner/Developer 39 4015-1199.03 Webmaster/Administrator 15 1315-1199.07 DataWarehousingSpecialist 16 1315-1199.06 DatabaseArchitects 11 1015-1131.92 MobileApplicationsDeveloper 67 3615-1152.00 Network/SystemsSupportSpecialist 36 3215-1134.93 UI/UXDesigner/Developer 39 4015-1199.03 Webmaster/Administrator 15 13

236 197Source:Supply/DemandCalculator(BurningGlassTechnologies)

NEOITOccupations:Entry-levelAdsAreEqualtoorLessthanHalftheNumberofGradsfortheYear2015

Entry-level=0to2YearsofWorkExperienceGradsfromITBachelorsProgramsinRatiotoOpeningsPreferringa

Bachelors

BGTOcc BGOccupationTitle

NumbersGap

Supply

HighSchool

Certificates/Associate's

TotalCertificates

andAssociates

15-1131.00 SoftwareDeveloper/Engineer 48 66 1715-1131.91 ComputerProgrammer 21 14 1715-1133.00 ComputerSystemsEngineer/ 5 15 715-1141.00 DatabaseAdministrator 32 14 515-1151.00 ComputerSupportSpecialist 421 292 44

527 401 90Source:Supply/DemandCalculator(BurningGlassTechnologies)

Entry-level=0to2YearsofWorkExperience

GradsfromITBachelorsProgramsinRatiotoOpenings AcceptingLessthanBachelor's

NEOITOccupations:Entry-levelAdsAreMoreThanTwicetheNumberofGradsfortheYear2015;LessThanBachelor's

BGTOcc

Demand

NumbersGap

UndersupplyofCertificateorAssociateDegrees

BGOccupationTitle



Thetwootheroccupationswithanestimatedover-supplyofBachelor’sdegreeis:BusinessIntelligenceAnalystandDataScientist.Thisfindingissomewhatamisnomer.Thelargenumberofgradsisbecausemanybusinessandscienceprogramsrespectivelyareconsideredstrongpreparationfortheseoccupations.WhattheseoverlooksisthatforbothoccupationsthereisincreasingneedforsophisticatedITandstatisticaltoolsbeyondthescopeofmostbusinessorscienceprograms.

OversupplyofCertificatesorAssociatedegrees?

§ ComputerSupportSpecialisttopsthelistyettypicallydoesnotrequireaBachelor’sdegree.SpecificprogramsdesignedtoprepareworkerstofillthesepositionswithCertificatesorAssociatedegreesarenotamajoremphasisforinstitutionsintheregion.EmployerslikeCharter/SpectrumbasedinCantoncitedifficultyrecruitingworkerstomeettheirneeds.

§ Whileahighschoolcredentialisminimallyacceptableformanyofthesejobads,atleastarelevantcertificateisneeded—thiscouldbelearnedinahighschoolcareeracademyorsubsequentlyatapostsecondaryinstitutionorshort-termtrainingprogram.

§ Typically,theotheroccupationsrequirea

Bachelors;Adsforthesepositions(SoftwareDeveloper/Engineer,ComputerProgrammer,andDatabaseAdministrator)aresmallandbestaddressedattheBachelors’level.

§ EquallysurprisingisthatafewIT

occupationswhereemployersdoacceptapplicantswithlessthanaBachelorsarebeingoversuppliedwithcompletersfromNEOhiopostsecondarysystem:

Therewereintotal214completersfromprogramsthatmatchknowledgeandskillrequirementsoftheseIToccupationswithonlyanannualnumberof50jobads.

Supply

HighSchool

Certificates/

Associate's

AnnualGradswithAssociates/Certificates

15-1134.93 UI/UXDesigner/Developer 2 12 30

15-1143.01TelecommunicationsEngineeringSpecialists

13 18 50

15-1152.00 Network/SystemsSupportSpecialist 17 17 86

15-1199.07 DataWarehousingSpecialist 1 1 5

15-1199.93 BusinessIntelligenceAnalyst 5 9 270

15-1134.91 WebDesigner 2 2 40

15-1111.00 ComputerScientist 0 0 3

40 60 484

15-1199.02 NetworkEngineer/Architect 9 12 50

15-1199.00 TechnologyConsultant 2 1 4

15-1199.94BusinessIntelligenceArchitect/Developer

0 3 4

15-1121.00 SystemsAnalyst 30 41 8541 57 143

Source:Supply/DemandCalculator(BurningGlassTechnologies)

OversupplyofAssociateDegrees&Certificates

NeitherOverorUnderSupplyatCertificateorAssociateLevel

NEOITOccupations:Entry-levelAdsAreMoreThanTwicetheNumberofGradsfortheYear2015;LessThanBachelor's

Entry-level=0to2YearsofWorkExperienceGradsfromITBachelorsProgramsinRatiotoOpenings AcceptingLessthan

Bachelor's

BGTOcc

NumbersGapDemand



§ NetworkingandComputerSystemsappearstoanareaofITexpertisethatisproducingmorecompletersthanNEOhioneedsbasedonannualjobpostings.TheseprogramsandcompleterscouldpotentiallybebetterservedbytransferringintooneoftheITprogramswhereagapexists.

Supply

High

School

Certificates/

Associate's

AnnualGrads

with

Associates/

Certificates

15-1134.93 UI/UXDesigner/Developer 2 12 3015-1143.01 TelecommunicationsEngineering 13 18 5015-1152.00 Network/SystemsSupportSpecialist 17 17 8615-1199.07 DataWarehousingSpecialist 1 1 515-1134.91 WebDesigner 2 2 4015-1111.00 ComputerScientist 0 0 3

35 50 214

NEOITOccupations:NumberofGradsfortheYear2015ismorethantwicethenumber

ofjobopeningsatLessThanBachelor'sEntry-level=0to2YearsofWorkExperience

GradsfromITBachelorsProgramsinRatiotoOpenings AcceptingLessthanBachelor's

BGTOcc

NumbersGap

Demand

OversupplyofAssociateDegrees&Certificates



IX. Deeper understanding of NE Ohio postsecondary completers of IT programs

Role of higher education to supply talent for IT entry-level jobs in demand Employerslooktotheregion’shighereducationsystemforjobseekersemergingfromITprogramsasgraduates.Yearsagoemployersannuallymadevisitstocollegecampusestosearchforpendinggraduatesinbusiness,engineeringandotherprograms.Fordecades,thiswasaneffectivewayfornationalandlocalemployersandgraduatestoconnectaroundhiringopportunitiesforentry-levelpositions.ThedistinctmixofeducationandtrainingprovidersinNEOhioisamixofprovidersofferingITprogramsateverylevelofcompletion.

§ PublicandPrivate/non-profitinstitutionsprovidethemostgraduateswithBachelor’sdegrees—193and156,respectively,in2015.

§ For-profitsgenerallydonotofferBachelor’s-levelprogramsonanyscale.§ ItappearsthatNEOhioAdultCareerandTechnicalEducationprovidersarenotreportingIT

programdataatthefederallevelsincenodataofcompletionsarerecordedinanyyearstudied.Fifteeninstitutionsappearinthedatareported.

Theseinstitutionsproducedatotalof374Bachelorsgradsin2015.

§ NumberofcompletershasbeenrelativelyflatoverthelastfewyearsdespitetheheightenedlevelofengagementbetweenthehighereducationsystemandindustryaroundtheneedformoreITgrads.

§ Theregion’sthreepublicuniversitiesproduced193gradsin2015,

TotalDegreesConferred2015 NumberofInstitutions374 15

PercentChangesince201165.49%

Institution Type 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011KentStateUniversityatKent Public 120 113 88 110 56UniversityofAkronMainCampus Public 46 53 53 84 48ClevelandStateUniversity Public 27 22 29 12 23

193 188 170 206 127

CaseWesternReserveUniversity Private 47 44 45 44 26OberlinCollege Private 37 21 18 9 11BaldwinWallaceUniversity Private 20 17 21 20 16UniversityofMountUnion Private 18 17 10 13 13JohnCarrollUniversity Private 18 11 16 9 10MaloneUniversity Private 6 7 7 3 2WalshUniversity Private 6 1 3 1 7HiramCollege Private 4 6 5 3 7

156 124 125 102 92

ITTTechnicalInstitute-Strongsville For-Profit 17 12 15 14 0AkronInstituteofHerzingUniversity For-Profit 4 0 0 0 0UniversityofPhoenix-ClevelandCampus For-Profit 3 6 1 4 4SouthUniversity-Cleveland For-Profit 1 0 0 0 0ITTTechnicalInstitute-WarrensvilleHeights For-Profit 0 1 3 3 0ChancellorUniversity For-Profit 0 0 0 1 3ITTTechnicalInstitute-Akron For-Profit 0 0 0 0 0TotalFor-Profit 25 19 19 22 7RegionTotal 374 331 314 330 226Source:LaborInsightJobs(BurningGlassTechnologies)

HigherEducationInstitutionsProvidingITBachelor'sDegreesinthe10CountyNEO,2011to2015



followedcloselybythearrayofprivateinstitutions,whichincludesCase-Western,thatgraduated156.For-profiteducationinNEOhiodoesnotfocusonfour-yearprograms.

IT Programs in NE Ohio with the Most Completers

Includingalllevelsofaward,NEOhioproduced1,115completersin2015fromITprograms.Byawardlevel,therewere136Certificates;473Associateand506Bachelordegrees.Obviously,therelativemixofAssociatevsBachelorawardstopreparestudentsforITcareersseemsdisproportionatelytiltedtowardcommunitycolleges;universitiesareunder-producinggivenindustryneedsforITprofessionalswithfour-yeardegrees.Moreover,thecollectiveoutcomefortotalawardsbyITprogramcontentisheavilyweightedtofiveprogramareas.ThelargestnumberofcompletersisinComputerandInformationSciencesprogramswhichisthemostgeneralpreparationofallprograms.TheequallylargenumbersfromComputerScienceandSystemsAnalysismayreflectsensitivitytoemployerpreferences.However,thedearthofcompletersfromprogramsfocusedonComputerEngineeringorSecurityofITsystemshelpstoexplainwhySoftwareDeveloper/EngineerandNetwork/InformationSecurityAnalystsareprominentamongtheIToccupationswiththemostintenseskillsgap.

CIPCode

CIPTitle

LevelofAttainment Cert. AssocBach. Mas. Phd

ComputerandInformationSciences

11.01 ComputerandInformationSciences,General. 67 5 92 62

11.01 ArtificialIntelligence.

11.01 InformationTechnology. 9 2

11.02 ComputerandInformationSciences,Other. 3

ComputerProgramming.

11.02 ComputerProgramming/Programmer,General. 2 10 10

11.02 ComputerProgramming,SpecificApplications. 14 33

11.03 ComputerProgramming,Other. 2

DataProcessingandTechnology/Technician

11.03 DataProcessingandTechnology/Technician 9

InformationScience/Studies.

11.04 InformationScience/Studies. 5 61 1 64

ComputerSystemsAnalysis.

11.05 ComputerSystemsAnalysis/Analyst. 3 78 55

ComputerScience

11.07 ComputerScience. 1 137 121 12

ComputerSoftwareandMediaApplications.

11.08 WebPage,Digital/MultimediaandInformationResourcesDesign 8 46 4

11.0802 DataModeling/WarehousingandDatabaseAdministration 3 1

11.08 ComputerGraphics 23

11.08 Modeling,VirtualEnvironmentsandSimulation.

11.09 ComputerSoftwareandMediaApplications,Other.

ComputerSystemsNetworkingandTelecommunications

11.09 ComputerSystemsNetworkingandTelecommunications 14 72 48

ComputerandInformationSystemsSecurity/InformationAssurance.

11.1 ComputerandInformationSystemsSecurity/InformationAssurance. 19

NetworkandSystemAdministration/Administrator

11.1 NetworkandSystemAdministration/Administrator 4 4

11.1 System,Networking,andLAN/WANManagement/Manager 98

11.1003 ComputerandInformationSystemsSecurity/InformationAssurance 3 19

ComputerandInformationSciencesandSupportServices

11.101 ComputerSupportSpecialist 1 27

11.11 Computer/InformationTechnologyServices,AllOther 8

ComputerEngineering

14.09 ComputerEngineering,General. 56 18 4

14.09 ComputerSoftwareEngineering. 3

ManagementInformationSystemsandServices

52.12 ManagementInformationSystems,General. 5 50

DegreeLevel

ITandRelatedMajorsThatGenerallyPrepareStudentsforthisJob:2015forNEO



ThesedataprovideinsightintoopportunitiesforbetteralignmentofactualITcurriculumwiththeemergingdirectionsofskillandoccupationalneedsofITemployersintheregion,andpossibleavenuesforengagingemployersandeducatorsaroundwhereandhowtoachieveabetterandimprovedsupplyofcompleters.ThisdiscussionisfurtherpursuedintheConclusionsandRecommendationssection.

X. Speculating on NE Ohio’s IT skills gap for mid-level positions Asdauntingasthegapisforevenentry-leveljobsforeverythingfromdeveloperstocomputersupportspecialists,thereisanequallychallengingshort-fallcitedbyemployerswhentryingtofillthemid-leveljobswhereexperiencematters.Whilenotanobjectiveofthisinvestigation,wenowbetterunderstandthenatureofdemandfortheseITworkersandtheneedtoassessthepotentialfortheregion’sworkforcedevelopmenteco-systemtoassistindustryinaddressingskillgapsofthosealreadyworkinginIT.

Ifsolicitingrecentgradswiththerighteducationisthebestwaytofindtheseapplicants,wheredoemployersturntofilljobsforexperiencedworkers?

§ Thesupplyofexperiencedworkerswiththeappropriateeducationalcredentialsandevidenceof

neededskillsetsislargelymetbythosealreadyemployed—employersprimarilyseektohirefrompoolofITworkersalreadyemployedalthoughforsomeoneelse.

§ Supplyisaugmentedbytheabilityofemployerstosearchforworkersoutsideoftheregion.Whycan’temployersfindenoughworkerswithintheregion’sincumbentITworkforce?

1. Iftheregion’sdemandformid-levelITworkersisgrowing,bydefinition,employersintotalcannotsatisfytheirhiringneedsbysimplytradingcurrentITworkers.Numerically,thereisshortageofsupply.

2. Morelikely,therapidpaceofchangeininformationtechnologyisimpactingjobdutiesandskills

setsemployersnowneed.Currentworkerslikelywilllacksomeofwhatnowisrequiredandneedtobeup-skilledbeforeenteringthenewjobwithaneworsameemployer.

3. EmployersattempttocreateadditionalITworkersbyattractingworkerswithbusiness,

engineering,andotheroccupationstofillITopenings.Theoppositeistrueaswell:employersattractITworkersintootheroccupationsbasedontheemergingtrendwheremanypositionsinIT,Engineering,etc.postadsseekingthecoreareasofskillandknowledgeareIT,Engineering,andBusiness/Industry.

Onbalance,employeropinionisthatothermethodsarenecessaryiftheyaretofillcriticalvacancies.Thesecondandthirdexplanationsaremostlikelywhymanyemployerslaunchprogramstopromote



fromwithin.AtthesametimeemployersthatcanaffordtodosoheavilypitchtheiropeningstoexperiencedITworkerselsewhereinOhioandbeyond.ProducingharddataonITjobseekersalreadyintheworkforcewaswell-beyondthescopeofthisinvestigation,butemployersindicatethatthesepositionsaremoredifficulttofillthanentry-level.Thereisnosourceofinclusivedataonworkersalreadyemployedandthelikelihoodtheywillapplyforpositionswithotheremployers.ByandlargetheseindividualsarenotcurrentlyenrolledinITeducationandtrainingprogramstoprepareforacareerinIT,oreventoaddressITskillstheyneedtoacquireorimprovetostaycurrentandadvanceintheircareer.Thebestwehaveisinformationaboutthoseemployedbyoccupationorindustry.Forexample,NEOhioemployedasITprofessionalspresentsomechallengeswhenconsideredasthepotentialpoolforfillingmid-levelITroleswiththeskillsmixemployersnowneed.Toofewworkingin2016haveaBachelor’sdegree.ToofewfemalescurrentlyareemployedinITjobs.Mostjobsareheldbywhitemalesrelativetopersonsofcolor.Lackoffemalesandpersonsofcolor,relativetotheiroverallpresenceintheworkforcelikelysuggestbarrierstoenterITcareersthatneedbreachingiftheregion’sindustryistomakefulluseofNEOhio’scurrentworkingagepopulation.ManyemployershavetiredofcompetingwithoneanotherforNEOhioexperiencedworkersandhaveincreasedeffortstopromotefromwithinbyidentifyinghighperformingworkerswhostartedinentryleveljobsandhavecreatedwaystogetthemtheadditionalskillsrequiredtosucceedinmid-levelopenings.

92%

83%

83%

72%

71%

71%

70%

66%

62%

58%

51%

51%

41%

41%

ComputerandInformationResearchScientists

SoftwareDevelopers,Applications

SoftwareDevelopers,SystemsSoftware

ComputerSystemsAnalysts

ComputerProgrammers

OperationsResearchAnalysts

DatabaseAdministrators

WebDevelopers

InformationSecurityAnalysts

ComputerNetworkArchitects

ComputerOccupations,AllOther

NetworkandComputerSystemsAdministrators

ComputerUserSupportSpecialists

ComputerNetworkSupportSpecialists

OhioEmployedITWorkersbyEducationAttained

Highschooldiplomaorless SomeCollegeoranAssociates Bachelorsorhigher



LACKOFDIVERSITYANDINCLUSIONINITWORKFORCENEOhio’semployedITworkersare83%Whiteandonly7%AfricanAmericanorAsian;2%areHispanic.TheITworkersareslightlymadeupmoreofWhiteandAsianemployedpersons.BlacksandHispanicsarelessoftenemployedinIToccupations.AGESOFITWORKERSITworkersareslightlyyoungerthanallemployedpersonsinNEOHIO.OverhalfofallpersonsemployedinITjobsintheregionarebetweenages25and44.Thispotentiallyrepresentsaverylargepoolofworkerswhowillneedup-skillediftheyaretoadvanceintheirITcareerswiththesameordifferentemployerorindustry.

White,83.2%,84%

BlackorAfricanAmerican,7.3%,7%

Asian, 6.4%, 7%

HispanicorLatino,1.9%,2%

NEOHIO:Race/EthnicityofITWorkers2016

2,20710,17810,369

9,0695,293

835

0 5000 10000 15000

14-18 19-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64

65+

AGesofEmployedITWorkers2016



ThegendergapamongworkersemployedinITjobsistelling:Femalesare49.7%ofallpersonsemployedbutonly26%ofITjobsareheldbyfemales.

XI. ConclusionsGreateralignmentandpartnershipamongregionalworkforcedevelopmentpartnersisvitaltohasteningthepacetoimproveworkforcequalityforemployers.

§ Employerslooktotheregion’shighereducationsystemforjobseekersemergingfromITprogramsasgraduates.Yetfewareconfidentoftheirabilitytogreaterimpactenrollmentgrowthorprogramchanges.TheresultisthefindingsofthisresearchsuggestthatwemaybefallingfartherbehindchangesindemandforITprofessionalstofillentry-levelpositions.

§ Yearsago,employersannuallymadevisitstocollegecampusestosearchforpendinggraduatesinbusiness,engineeringandotherprograms.Fordecades,thiswasaneffectivewayfornationalandlocalemployersandgraduatestoconnectaroundhiringopportunitiesforentry-levelpositions.Today,ITemployerhiringneedsaredrivenbytheneedtofillmid-levelpositionswhichasalreadystressedarenotamongthoseemergingfrompostsecondaryeducationandtrainingsystems.

XII. Recommendation at Entry-level: Better Alignment of IT Programs and Employer Demand for Entry-level Job Openings

Again,thenumericgapsoverallaredaunting.Itisasmuchamatteroflackofcapacitytogreatlyexpandnumbersofcompletersbytwo-,orthree-fold,asitistoattractingyouth;youngadultsandtransitioningworkersintoprogramsthatpreparethemforITcareers.Thisisnottoimplythataddressingthegapishopeless.TherealopportunitiestoimproveistolockinontheIToccupationswiththegreatestgaps,andworkwithemployerstoimprovethenumberofstudentsentering,oraddinglearningoutcomesto,ITmajorsthatbestpreparestudentswiththeskillsandproficienciesnowneeded.TherearenearlyfortyprogramswithdifferingorientationstopreparestudentsforITcareeremployment.ConcentrationsorspecializationsvarywidelywiththebroaddisciplinarythrustsofInformationScienceorManagement,ComputerScience,andComputerEngineering.Basedoncontent,emphasisandpurpose,nonepreparestudentsforentry-leveljobsnomatterwhattheoccupationtitleorareaofexpertise.Areallthesemajorsequallyeffectiveatdevelopinggradscapableofhandlingtheresponsibilitiesofthe



job—attheentrylevel?Example,whatmajordoemployersmostpreferwhenhiringentry-leveldevelopers?ForSystemsAnalyst?Or,ifcomputerscienceisstillthepreferredmajor,cancurriculumandexperientiallearningbeimprovedtoboostlearningofsystemsdesignandmodelingorOOADtheory,orworkingcloselywithengineersandbusinessprofessionals?OngoingdiscussionswithagroupofITleadersfromindustrycanpotentiallyanswerquestionssuchas:HowdowebalanceemployerpreferencefortraininginComputerSciencewithemergingneedstohireindividualswithamoreblendedskillbase?Pursuitofthisapproachwillrequiredeliberateeffortsbyemployersandeducatorstoworktogetheriftheyaretodefinewhereimprovementsshouldbefocusedandwhatactionscanbetakenwithmaximumbenefittotheregion.SUGGESTIONSFORAMORETARGETEDAPPROACH:WenowknowthatthefollowingIToccupationshavelargenumericgapsbetweensupplyanddemand,andthatinmanycasesitisnotclearwhichITprogramsbestpreparestudentsforthesejobassignments:

§ SystemsAnalysts:InNEOhiothispositionranksthirdintermsofnumericgap.SpecificprogramsexistinNEOhiowiththeprimaryfocusonsystemsanalysisasacoreprogramateverylevelofcompletion.Completersatalllevelsofattainmentemergedbytheendof2015:78withanAssociatesand55withaBachelors.But,therewerenearly300jobpostingsforAnalystswithaBachelors.BaldwinWallaceandthemaincampusofKentStateUniversityofferthisdegree.In2015,KentState’sprogramsproducedmostofthegrads.

Couldemployersagreeonwhetheraconcentrationonsystemsanalysisispreferredwhenhiringnewanalysts?Couldtheyworkwitheitherinstitutiontoquickenthepaceofcompletersfromtheseprogramswithprogrammodificationsemployersgreatlyvalue?PossiblythiscouldbeprovidingopportunitiestotheirstudentsintheirotherITmajorstoacquiremoresystemsanalysisintheireducation,ratherthansimplyrelyoneffortstoexpandenrollmentortransfersintotheSystemsmajor.

Undoubtedly,thiscouldworkbestifinterestedemployersarehighlyengagedwithadvisingtheinstitutionsonhowbesttomodifyITprogramstoimprovestudentknowledgeandskillsimportanttohiringofSystemAnalysts.

§ Cyber/InformationSecurityAnalysts/Managers:Thisoccupationranksfourthintermsofnumeric

skillsgap.Only35ofthe564gradswithaBachelorsfromITprogramswereastrongmatchwiththeknowledgeandabilitiesemployersseekfromjobseekers.Thisrelativelynewoccupationaccountsforalmostalljobspostedwherethepositionhasprimaryresponsibilityoverthe



securityofinformationandsystemsforanorganizationorbusiness.WhilemostpostingsforthispositioninNEOhioaremid-level,requiring3to5yearsofpriorworkexperience,therewas197postingsattheentry-level.Again,howcanITprogramresourcesbeshiftedaroundtomakespecialareasofexpertise(dataandsystemsecurityinthiscase)inanefficient,yeteffectivewayandraisethenumberofgradsmeasurablyabove35?Therewereonly19gradsfromaBachelorsprograminsecurityin2015andthosewerefromITTandUniversityofPhoenix.NotasinglegradcamefromanyofthepublicorprivateuniversitiesinNEOhio.Thisfindingprovidesacaseforconveningaconversationamongtheuniversitiesandpotentiallyemployerswiththegreatestdemandforthisoccupationandattemptstodeterminetheneedanddevelopideasonimprovingthissituationwithoutmajoradditionalresources.Whatcanbeaddressedinonetothreeyears?

§ SoftwareDeveloper/Engineers:Thisoccupationmaypresentthemostlydifficultcasetoresolve.

In2015,ithadbyfarthelargestnumericgap(976attheentry-level)andtheleastnumberofgrads(32)fromITprograms.NotallITmajorsequallypreparestudentsfordeveloperroles;yieldingtheresultthattherewasonegradforevery30+postingsduringtheyear.Itisnotclearwhichofthenearly40ITprogramsofstudyarespecificallyaimedatplacinggradsintodeveloperpositions.ThetwomajorsmostlinkedwithsoftwaredevelopersorengineersareComputerProgrammingandSoftwareEngineering.MostofthecompletersofComputerProgrammingdegreesareattheAssociatelevel,nottheBachelors.Onlyemployerscanconfirmthepreparednessofthesegrads.AretheylikelytobehiredifaBachelorsispreferred?BaldwinWallacehastheonlySoftwareEngineeringprogrambutonlythreegradsfromtheBachelorsprogramin2015.Noothersexistintheregion.Beyondtheriseofnewprogramsspecializinginsoftwareapplicationsforthewebormobiledevices,fewneweducationandtrainingprogramsarespecificallyaimedtoaddressthisgapfacingemployers.Mostpostsfordevelopersorsoftwareengineersarenotfromfirmsproducingsoftwareproductsandservicesastheirmainpurpose.Rathertheseworkersareplayingaroleasadeveloperwheresoftwareisacriticalelementofalargerproblem.

Theseverityofthegapmakesacaseforconveningagroupofemployerstodiscusswhatmightbedoable.

§ ComputerSupportSpecialist:Finally,attheAssociatelevelthisistheoccupationwiththesinglelargestgap.Combined,theregion’seducationandtrainingsystemssimplyareproducingtoofewcompletersofeitherCertificatesorAssociatedegrees—Only90totalin2015frommajorsjudgedtobestronglypreparedforthisrole.CompletersfromComputerSupportServicesprogramsare



providedbytheprivatefor-profittechnicaltrainingorganizations,notthecommunitycolleges.TherearenoprogramsinComputerandInformationSciencesandSupportServiceswithgradswithAssociatesdegreein2015.

Duringtheemployerengagementsession,oneemployerfromasoftwarefirmraisedtheissueofObject-Orientedparadigmforlearningaboutthecomplexitiesofsoftwaredesignandtherealityofspecificprogramminglanguagesthatareever-evolving.HeposedtheopinionthatwhatnewhiresneedisabetterunderstandingofObject-Orientedmethodology(aphrasefoundinalltheirdeveloperads)andsuggestedthatITprogramsshouldhavemoreemphasis,andearlier,incurriculum.Asisexplainedbelow,thisisadiscussionlimitedtodevelopers,andislikelymostimportanttobusinessesinvolvedwithdevelopingoradaptingsophisticatedsoftwareapplicationstomeetneedsofotherindustry.Object-orientedAnalysisandDesign(OOAD)appearsinBurningGlassskillsasaSpecializedSkill,toannounceemployerdemandforgeneralknowledgeandexpertiseofanareaofITtheoryorapplication.ItisaconceptthatBurningGlassAIhasbeenpullingfromjobads.NEOhio,likethenation,employerdemandforOOADunderstandingonlyappearsin13%ofalladsforSoftwareDevelopers/Engineers.Likewise,thisisthecaseforSanJose,CA,hometotheworld’slargestITdevelopmentgiants.Asisevidentfromthetable,theonlyotheroccupationswithsignificantdemandforOOADareWebDeveloperandMobileApplicationsDevelopers.Thesethreeoccupationsaccountedfor85%ofallsuchnoticesofdemand.Infact,MobileApplicationadshavethegreatestshareofadsrequestingOOAD(22%).Adetailedprofileofthese720adsinNEOHIOduring2016forSoftwareDeveloper/Engineersinthenexttableseparatesemployerpreferencesintermsofskills:Specialized;BaselineorEmployability;andSoftware&Programming.JAVAisstillthemostoftenusedlanguagewithintheObject-orientedparadigmforsoftwareprogramming.Itisthetopprogramminglanguagementionedintheseads.

BGTOCCCodeBGTOCC JobPostings1.5E+07 SoftwareDeveloper/Engineer 720 70.0%1.5E+07 WebDeveloper 113 11.0%1.5E+07 MobileApplicationsDeveloper 37 3.6%1.5E+07 ComputerProgrammer 28 2.7%1.5E+07 ComputerSystemsEngineer/ 28 2.7%1.5E+07 SystemsAnalyst 23 2.2%1.5E+07 SoftwareQAEngineer/Tester 21 2.0%1.5E+07 NetworkEngineer/Architect 15 1.5%1.5E+07 ITProjectManager 10 1.0%


NEO:OccupationswithAdsListingOOADasSpecializedSkill2016



§

Recommendation at Mid-level: New Initiatives Focused on Attacking the Skills Gap for Mid-level IT Workers Imaginewhatispossibleifwehadaregionalapproachwhereemployerspartnerwitheachotherandwithhighereducationtoagreeonwaystotweakcurriculumandtheuseoffast-trackprogramstoprovideworkersaddedskillsneededtoadvanceintheircareers.Thiscouldbethrougheitheradditionaleducationorworkexperiencesbuiltaroundsharedemployerneeds.Thefutureisripewithopportunitiestochangebehaviorsandaddressemployerpainpointthroughcollaborativeeffortsandconcreteaction.PROMOTINGFROMWITHIN—DEVELOPINGAREGIONALMODELJustasinternshipsareusedtodevelopapoolofpotentialapplicantsforentry-levelpositions,oncehired,theseemployeescanbecomeapotentialpooloftalentforfuturemid-levelopeningswithinacompany.Someemployerssiteeffortstoidentifyworkersduringtheirfirstfewyearsatthecompanyandprogramtalentdevelopmentopportunitiestofurtherpreparethemforfutureopenings.Sometimesthepathaheadiswithinoneofthefourcareerorientations—BusinessIntelligence;NetworksandComputerSystems;Development;andInternetTechnologyandInteractiveMedia.Forexample,

SpecializedSkillsBaseline(Employability

SkillsSoftwareandProgramming

Skills# % # % # %

Object-OrientedAnalysisandDesign(OOAD) 720 100.0%

Object-OrientedAnalysisandDesign 720 100.0%

Object-OrientedAnalysisandDesign(OOAD) 720 100.0%

JAVA 376 52.2% ProblemSolving 224 31.1% JAVA 376 52.2%SoftwareDevelopment 374 51.9% CommunicationSkills 216 30.0% SQL 334 46.4%SQL 334 46.4% TeamWork/Collaboration 200 27.8% MicrosoftC# 330 45.8%MicrosoftC# 330 45.8% Writing 143 19.9% JavaScript 272 37.8%JavaScript 272 37.8% .NETProgramming 264 36.7%.NETProgramming 264 36.7% C++ 192 26.7%SoftwareEngineering 255 35.4% ASP 182 25.3%C++ 192 26.7% jQuery 144 20.0%ASP 182 25.3%WebApplicationDevelopment 146 20.3%jQuery 144 20.0%

AgileDevelopment 140 19.4% Troubleshooting 138 19.2% Oracle 133 18.5%RelationalDatabases 135 18.8% Research 125 17.4% SQLServer 133 18.5%Oracle 133 18.5% Planning 95 13.2% Git 131 18.2%SQLServer 133 18.5% ExtensibleMarkup 122 16.9%Git 131 18.2% JavaServerPages(JSP) 105 14.6%ExtensibleMarkupLanguage(XML) 122 16.9% UnifiedModelingLanguage 97 13.5%JavaServerPages(JSP) 105 14.6% VisualStudio 92 12.8%WebDevelopment 105 14.6% AJAX 80 11.1%Source:LaborInsightJobs(BurningGlassTechnologies) Eclipse 76 10.6%

NEO:SkillsIncludedinAdsforSoftwareDeveloper/EngineerthatIncludedOOADasSpecializedSkill2016

JobPostings JobPostings

MostOftenListed

SelectivelyListed

JobPostings

SelectivelyListed SelectivelyListed

MostOftenListed MostOftenListed



recentgradsarehiredintoentry-leveldeveloperpositionsandsomeeventuallywillbepromotedintomoreresponsible,mid-leveldeveloperjobsastheygainskillsandexperienceneededinadvancedpositions.However,dependingontheorganization’sneed,fillingfromwithinforsomepositionswilltargetindividualsoriginallyhiredinoneoftheotherthreeITareasofcareer/skillorientation,orevenworkersfromanotherareaofthecompany.DevelopersmaybedevelopedintoSystemsAnalysts;FinancialAnalystsaredevelopedintoBIAnalystsorManagers,orForensicsexperts,etc.Companiesalsorelyonothercompanies,vendors,orcommunityprogramstohelpprovidetraininganddevelopmentneededtomovetheseemployeesalong.ArecentconveningofHRpersonnelresponsibleforfillingemployerneedsforITtalentbyRITEaskedthemtodiscusswitheachotherhowtheyweremeetingneedstofillmid-levelpositionsgenerallyandforsoftwaredevelopersspecifically.Thisisoccurringindifferentways,usingdifferentapproachesacrosstheregion,especiallywithinlargercompanies.However,overallsuccessisconstrainedbythesizeofcompany,budgets,andthepoolofinternalworkersthatmeetthecriteriaforinternalpromotion.WhilethisisroutinelyoccurringinNEOhiowithinindividualcompanies,imaginewhataprogramattheregionallevelmightdotofurtherdevelopentry-levelworkersformid-leveljobs.Forexample,ifemployersgenerallyexperienceproblemsfillingmid-leveldeveloperjobopenings,whatcouldbedonetoaddressthisproblemotherthanwhatindividualemployersaredoingontheirown?Whatcanindustry-ledintermediariesdotoorganizeaninitiativetobuildtheregionalcapacityto‘promotefromwithin’?Effortsthataugmentandcoordinatewithwhatthelargeremployersalreadyaredoing.

Byunderstandingthecareerpathscommonlytakenbytheregion’sITworkersastheymovefromjobtojob,employertoemployer,orchangepositionswiththesameemployer,wecangaininsightsintokeepingemployersandworkersinsynchwithsupplyanddemand.Manyoftherecentinitiativestoprovidealternativeeducationand

trainingresourcesandtocreatemoreexperientiallearningopportunitiesareanefforttorespondquicklyandspecificallytoperceivedemployerneedsatthemid-levelaswellasentry-levelshortfallofITworkersintheregion.Asimportantastheseare,theyareexpensivealternativestothepublichighereducationsystemwhichoftenisfaultedasneitherresponsiveorspecificintermsoftheITmajorsandstudentsattractedintotheirprograms.Notallinstitutionsareinterestedorpositionedtoplaysuchanewrole,butshouldnotbeleftoutofconversationsthatshapeearlyeffortstodeterminewhatispossibleinsolvingthemid-levelskillsgapinIT.Afterall,therearemanyaccelerateddegreeprogramsformid-levelprofessionalandtechnicalworkersin

Whatistrueforindividualemployersistrueforthe

regionoverall.



otherdisciplines.Thelargestnumberofpostingsintheregionisformid-levelSoftwareDevelopers.Thesepositionsmaskthediverserangeofrolesandassignmentsemployershavefortheseworkers.Theyvarybyindustryandovertimeastheproblemsposedtodevelopersbecomemorespecializedandcomplex.

Recommendation for Further Research Propervalidationandfurtherperspectivesandlabormarketinsightscanbestbeachievedbyconductingasurveyacrosstheregionofarepresentativecross-sectionofITemployers.Thesurveycontentshouldbestructuredaroundthefindings,implicationsandrecommendationsaddressedinthissummaryandtechnicalreport

Attachments I. Four Career Pathways for IT Professionals

Business Intelligence/ Integration (BI) Datingbackto2000andbefore,thispathwaywasDataAdministration.Itsimplyreferredtotheinherentneedtostore,organizeandretrievedataaboutanenterprise,organizationorsystemofentities.Thiswasbeforethedigitizationrevolution.Today,ITworkersarechallengedwithhandlingBigDataanddetermininghowtointegrateandanalyzestoreddataasintelligenceinmakingbusinessdecisions.Asaresult,jobassignmentsandskillsneededbyteamsofITworkersreflecttheneedtobuild,secure,andmanageBigData;Integratesourcesofdataintoawarehousetoanalyzethedata,andtheninterpretthedataviatheBItoolsinordertoanswerquestionsgermanetobusinessdecisions.Today,thispathwayistitledBusinessIntelligence(BI),and,accordingtoThomasLucas,afoundingmemberoftheRITEBoard:“BusinessIntelligenceistheusefulinsightthatcomesfromtheDataAnalyticsprocesswherebylargeamountsofdataareanalyzedtoidentifymeaningfulpatternsorcharacteristicsthatcanprovidebusinessinsighttosupportdecision-making.DataIntegrationispartoftheDataAnalyticsprocesswheredatafromseveralsourcesiscombinedtoprovideaunifiedviewofthedata.”

§ BItoolsareoftencalledDecisionSupportSystems(DSS)orfact-basedsupportsystemsastheyprovidebusinessuserswithtoolstoanalyzetheirdataandextractinformation.

§ Oftendataissourcedfromdatawarehouses.Thereasonisstraightforward.Adatawarehousealreadyhasdatafromvariousproductionsystemswithinanenterprise.Thedataiscleansed,consolidated,conformedandstoredinonelocation.

DataIntegration

§ Dataintegrationisthefirststepincreatingadatawarehouse.Itinvolvescombiningdatafromseveraldisparatesourcesandisprocessedintoaunifiedviewofthedata.Dataintegrationbecomesincreasinglyimportantincasesofmergingsystemsoftwocompaniesorconsolidatingapplicationswithinonecompanytoprovideaunifiedviewofthecompany'sdataassetsandisstoredinadatawarehouse.

DataAnalytics

§ Analyticsisadatascienceandallowsustoaskquestionsofthedata.Analyticstoolsaredeployedwhenacompanywantstotryandforecastwhatwillhappeninthefuture,whereasBItoolshelptotransformthoseforecastsandpredictivemodelsintocommonlanguage.

§ DataAnalyticsshouldbethoughtofasthequestion-answeringphaseleadinguptothedecision-makingphaseintheoverallschemeofBusinessIntelligence.



BusinessIntelligence

This is the final step in ‘putting it all together’; groundinganalysis into the contextof thebusinesslanguage anddecision-makingprocesswhere technical information is translated intonon-technicallanguage.Inmostcasestheworkersprovidingthisexpertisearenotthesameonesperformingearliertasks.

Thearrayofjobtitles,occupationalgroupingandrolesareinvolvedinBI.BItypicallyrequiresateamof IT professionals—from entry-to-senior level responsibilities to deal with the complexity ofassignmentsasdescribed.

InthisportionoftheCareerPathway,IToccupationsoftenlinkedwithBI;BidData;DataIntegrationandAnalyticsareidentified.UsingjobpostinganalyticsaccessedfromBurningGlassLabor/Insightandothersources,skillsets,education,andITcertificationsmostoftenrequiredtoperformwellonthejobarealsoincluded.Thisprofileisforthissetofoccupationsasagroup.Complementarydataontheserequirementsforeachoftheseoccupations,includingadescriptionofeachoccupationisavailable.

Networks, Computer Systems, Security of Information, and Administration ThispathisforITprofessionalsadvancingtheirexpertiseandskillsinoneofthefollowing:networkingofcomputerstogetherwithinanorganizationandsecuringinformationsharedwithinandbetweennetworks;DesignandbuildingofComputerSystemstomeetneedsofanorganizationandsecuringagainstoutsidebreach;andadministrationofoneofthesedistinctfunctions.Expertiseworkingwithcomputerhardwareandsoftwareapplications,aswellasnetworksandinternetsecurityaremostimportantforthedesignandadministrationofcomputerandnetworksystems.SecurityofBigData,especiallyasstoredonCloudSolutionsorproprietarynetworksofcomputers,hasintensifiedtheneedforjobsdesignedtoprotectagainstbreachesofsecurity.

Development Developerscreatesoftwareprogramsorareinvolvedincreatingthedigitalinfrastructureforacompany.ManyITdevelopersworkasconsultantsanddoprojectsforavarietyofdifferentorganizations.Intoday’sinformationage,developersinanyareaoftechnologyneedtounderstandtheirmarket,andmanydevelopersspecializeinaspecificarea.Everyindustrytodayisinsomewayaffectedbytechnology,andcompanieslargeandsmallneedknowledgeabletechdeveloperstohelpthembuildandmaintainausefulinfrastructure.Additionally,astechnologygrowsandexpands,eachindustryneedsnewsoftwaretohelpthemkeepupwithachangingmarketplace.



SoftwareDevelopment:AccordingtoWikipedia,softwaredevelopmentistheprocessofcomputerprogramming,documenting,testingandbug-fixinginvolvedincreatingandmaintainingapplicationsandframeworksresultinginasoftwareproduct.Itinvolveswritingandmaintainingsourcecode,butinabroadersense,itincludeseverystepfromconceptionofthedesiredsoftwarethroughtothefinalmanifestationofthesoftware.Therefore,softwaredevelopmentmayincluderesearch,newdevelopment,prototyping,modification,reuse,re-engineering,maintenance,oranyotheractivitiesthatresultinsoftwareproducts.DevelopmentemploysmostITprofessionals,andinmanycasesdevelopersaresignificantpartsofITsolutionteamswhetherfocusisonComputerSystems,Cyber-security,CloudSolutions,etc.DevelopersarethelargestcomponentofcurrentlyITjobsandisover-whelmingthelargestsourceofonlineadsfornewhires.Newoccupationaltitlesemergetocapturethedemandforspecificapplicationsofsoftwaresolutionssuchasdevelopingsoftwareformobiledevices.Specifictools,shiftingparadigmsofprogramming,etc.constantlyevolvemakingitdifficultforcurrentworkerstostaycurrent,andforeducatorstostayabreastofshiftingemployerapplicationsandtoolsinuse.Again,thereareanarrayofdifferentrolesplayedbyITprofessionalsimpliedinthelistofJobTitlesandRoleswithinthiscareerpath.Moredetailedinformationforeachoccupationisavailable.

Internet and Interactive Media ThesecareersaretwodistinctbutrelatedITfields:Internetdevelopmentandmaintenanceandinteractivemediaproductsoftensharedviatheinternet.Internettechnologycoverscareersthatdealwithcomputernetworksandtheweb.PopularcareertitlesinInternettechnologyincludewebdesignanddevelopment.However,becausethefunctionalityoftheinternetdependsoncomputerandnetworksystemssomeofthesameoccupationsspecificallylinkedtoNetworkingandDevelopmentarerelevant.SystemAnalyst,informationtechnology(IT)specialist,programmer,andcomputersecurityspecialist.Intermsofcareerorientation,though,ITjobsinthispathwayfocusonthewebitselfnotthecomputerandnetworksystemsthatenableittogrowandexpand.Interactivemedianormallyreferstoproductsandservicesondigitalcomputer-basedsystemswhichrespondtotheuser'sactionsbypresentingcontentsuchastext,movingimage,animation,video,audio,andvideogames.Inthediagram,jobtitles,rolesandskills/credentialsareacompositeofwhatisinvolvedinbothrelatedfields.

Again,thereareanarrayofdifferentrolesplayedbyITprofessionalsimpliedinthelistofJobTitlesandRoleswithinthiscareerpath.Moredetailedinformationforeachoccupationisavailable.



II. Advanced digital skills largely involve applying software applications on the job

Advanceddigitalskillsincreasinglyareneededinarangeofapplications.Withinthecontextofapplication,theyareneededinavarietyofoccupations.Mostoftheminvolveusingcomputersandsoftwareapplicationsthataremorespecificandadvanced.Topadvanceddigitalskillsindemanddifferbasedhowtheyareused:

§ CustomerRelations§ Computer&Network

Support§ DigitalMedia&Design§ SocialMedia&Search

EngineAnalysisAllbutCustomerRelationsneedITworkersfromacross-sectionofIToccupations.Forsome,theoccupationisdirectlyfocusedondeliveryoftheservice.



Mostoftheseneedsandskillsarenotnewbutarenowusedmorewidelyacrossbusinessesandindustries.NotallITworkersneedpossessmanyoftheseskills;itdependsontheroleofIToccupationswithineachoftheseapplications.Whileadvanced,theseskillsdonotimplycodingskillsarealsorequiredforworkersintheIToccupations.• WithinComputerandNetworksupport,themajorityofalladsforseveralIToccupationshadhigh

demandforsomecombinationofthesedigitaltools:DatabaseAdministratorandWebDeveloperinparticular.

• DatabaseAdministratordefinitivelywouldneedspecificskillsassociatedwithComputerandNetworkSupport.

• WebDeveloperwouldalsoneedsomeofDigitalMediaandDesignandsearchengineanalysis;perhapsevendigitalmedia.

Advanced Digital Skills Top Skills

Sales Representative

Account Manager /

Representative• Salesforce CRM

• SAP CRM

• Siebel CRM

• SQL

• Linux• Cisco• Adobe Photoshop

Digital Media & Design • Adobe Acrobat

• InDesign

• Social Media Platforms

• Blogging

• Google Analytics

Burning'Glass'Technologies,'Cruched'by'the'Numbers:'The'Digital'Skills'Gap'in'the'Workforce,'March'2015,'p.'5

Ilustration+of+Advanced+Digital+Skills+Linked+to+Occupations

Computer & Network Support

Multimedia Designer

Marketing Coordinator /

Assistant

Graphic Designer / Desktop

Publisher

Recruiter

Graphic Designer / Desktop

Publisher

Search Engine Optimization Specialist

Social Media Tools & Search Engine Analysis

Top Occupations

Sales Manager

Network / Systems Support

Specialist

Network / Systems

Administrator

Computer Support

Specialist

Customer Relationship Management



III. Coding Skills in Demand are emerging as a path to higher-skill jobs

Demandforprogrammingskillsislarge,growing,andnotjustforITjobs.Codingskillsareneededtoworkwithdata,tocreatewebsites,tobuildproductsandtechnologies,andtoconductresearch.7Howdoyoudefinecodingskills?Codingskillsistheuseofacomputerprogramtowriteinstructionstoacomputerasopposedtousingpre-writtenapplicationstoperformpre-structuredtasks.Theprogramming languagesstudiedincludeJavaScriptandHTMLforbuildingwebsites,statisticalprogramssuchasRandSAS,AutoCADprogramsforengineers,andgeneralpurposecomputerprogramminglanguagessuchasJava,Python,andC++.

BurningGlassTechnologiesresearcheditsdatabaseofonlinejobadstofind:

§ CodingskillsarenowindemandformorethanITprofessionals.Engineers,Designers,Scientists,andMarketingAnalystsareaskedtoperformcodingamongtheirjobduties.

§ Codingskillsaremostimportantforhigher-skilljobs.Middle-skilljobsrequiremorebasicdigitalskills.

§ Acquiringcodingskillsopenscareeradvancementopportunitiesformanymiddle-skillworkers.§ Jobsinoccupationsrequiringcodingskillstodayaregrowingfasterandpaybetterthanjobsin

occupationsthatdonot.

Economic Growth is linked to use of new technologies Thegrowingimportanceofprogrammingskillsforworkersintheseoccupationsistheresultofimpactofindustryadoptingdisruptivetechnologiestogainmarketshare.

7BurningGlass&OracleAcademy,BeyondPointandClick:ExpandingDemandforCodingSkills,June2016



WhatevidenceexistsofincreaseddemandfortheseskillsinnortheastOhio?AccordingtoBurningGlass,therearefivedistinctareasofbusinessoperationsandoccupationalfocuswherecodingskillsprevailinindustry:1. IToperations2. DataAnalytics3. Engineeringsoftware4. Scienceandtheneedforworkersto

writecodetoguideprogramming5. Art&DesignIneachofthesedistinctareas,onlinejobadspostedarehugeandjobgrowthnationallyisexpected.Skillssetsinvolvedineachoftheseareasaredistinct,andeachisexpectedtogrowjobsoverthenextdecade.

How are these skills emerging in Northeast Ohio’s Labor Market? Demandforprogrammingskillsimpactsover17,000ofthemorethan200,000jobpostingsinthelast365days.

§ DemandforProgrammingSkills(code-writingskills)ismostintensiveinspecificoccupations.AllbuttwoareITProfessionaloccupations.IToccupationshad60%to70%ofallonlinepostsrequiringspecificprogrammingskills.



§ ITdeveloperjobpostingsincludeprogrammingskillsmorethanhalfthetime.

§ WebDeveloperandUX/UIDeveloperarejobsinwhichover70%ofalljobadsspecifyprogramskills.

§ Businessanalystpositionstendtorequireprogrammingskills.Demandforcodewritingskillsvariesamongjobresponsibilities

ITProfessionalshavethehighestresponsibilityforimprovinganddevelopingnewsoftware.Webdevelopment,UI/UX,andMobileApplicationsaredistinctspecializationswithindevelopingsoftware.Forexample:

§ SpecificneedsandskillsareneededtoaddressBigDataAccessandManagementneeds.

§ Arts&Designworkersmustexcelatdesignsoftwareandwebdevelopment.

Formostoccupations,explicitdemandforprogrammingskillsoccursforonlyaportionofallpostsforthesejobs.However,fortheoccupationsshadedinthenexttable,from60%to93%ofallpostingsfortheoccupationlistspecificprogrammingskillsasneeded.NotallITjobsrequireprogrammingskillsinamajorityoftheads:SystemAnalystandnetworkandsupportjobslistprogrammingskillslessthanhalfthetime.



IV. Baseline, or Non-technical, Skills Abroadviewofemployabilityskills—Personal,People,AppliedKnowledge,andWorkplace—capturethearrayofissuesthatemployercommentsonskillsotherthantechnicalorComputer/ITskillsspecifically.Anewnetworkofinterestshasproducedabodyofinformationforeachoftheseandinter-connections amongthem.8,9 BurningGlassprovidesadifferentwaytoorganizethebroadrangeofsoftorfoundationalskillsetsintosixclustersthatarerequiredforsomeoccupationsandindustries.10

§ CustomerService§ PresentationandPersuasion§ DetailOriented§ Supervision§ PositiveDisposition§ ProjectManagement,Research&Strategy

Therelativenumberofbaselinevstechnicalskillsappearinginadsvariesgreatlyacrossoccupations;the

8NationalNetworkofBusinessandIndustryAssociationsAFoundationforSuccessintheWorkplace:TheSkillsAllEmployeesNeed,NoMatterWhereTheyWork,March2015,p1.

9TheNationalNetworkrepresentsmajorbusinesssectorsandisfundedthroughacollaborativepartnershipofBusinessRoundtable(BRT),ACTFoundation,TheJoyceFoundation,LuminaFoundationandWalmartFoundation.Membersincludeleadersinthemanufacturing,retail,healthcare,energy,construction,hospitality,transportationandinformationtechnologysector.10BurningGlass,TheHumanFactor:TheHardTimeEmployersHaveFindingSoftSkills,November2015,p7.

The National Network hasidentified the Common Employability Skills for all jobs that benefit:

Employers,whocannowidentifythecommonskillsthatalltheiremployeesshouldexhibit

Potentialemployees,whoknowwhatbasicskillsemployersexpectthemtohaveforanyjobintheworkplace,andcanbettercommunicatetheirskilllevelstoemployers

Educatorsandotherlearningproviders,whoknowwhatfoundationalskillstoemphasize



highertheskilllevelofthejob,thegreatertheemphasisontechnicalratherthanbaselineorsoftskillsthatemployersplaceintheads.Baselineskillsappearinginjobpostsareonesthatemployersoftenfindmissingfromapplicantsandarethehardesttofind.Thesevaryamongoccupationsandindustries.Forexample,mathisoftenlistedforproductionjobsinmanufacturingbecauseapplicantsoftendonothavegoodmathskills.Mathisseldommentionedinadsforscience,engineeringorITjobsbecauseitisassumedtheywillhavetheseskills.Afewbaselineskillsareimportanttoemployersnomattertheoccupation—Writing,Communications,andOrganization.

§ BurningGlassfindsthatthemixofbaselineskills,liketechnicalskills,variesacrossoccupations—evenwithinbroadoccupationalfamilies.“Baselineskillsaremostemphasizedinrolesthatinvolvehigherlevelsofpersonalinteractionrelativetotechnicalactivities.InCustomerSupportroles,overhalfofallrequestedskillsarebaselineskills.”11

§ CommunicationSkillswasincludedin37%ofallIT

jobpostsduring2015,toppingthelistbyalargemargin.

Manyofthesearewhatwerefertoassoftskillsor21stCenturySkills.FromDetailed-OrientedtoCommunication,atleastoneintenjobadsincludeoneormoreoftheseskillsasimportanttomakinghires.Asimportantastheseappeartobeforemployersinmakinghiringdecisions,postsecondarystudentsandjobseekersneedtoassessthemselvesforbaselineskillsinpreparationforemployment.Conclusion:Itisnolongerconfusingwhatemployersmeanby‘soft’skills.Thesearedefinitiveandcanbeincorporatedintocurriculumandexperientiallearningwithineducationandtrainingprogramsandclientservices.11Ibid,p8.

BaselineorEmployabilitySkillsJob

PostingsCommunicationSkills 36.85%

Troubleshooting 26.47%

ProblemSolving 26.05%

Writing 25.53%

TeamWork/Collaboration 17.52%

Planning 17.17%

Research 13.13%

OrganizationalSkills 11.15%

Detail-Oriented 9.71%


NEO:MostListedBaselineSkillsforITJobAdsduring2016



For questions or more information:

Contact Jim Shanahan, Ph.D.

[email protected]

727-631-8262



UnderstandingtheITSkillsGapinNEOhio

SHANAHANRESOURCES,INC.

Documents

Understanding the IT Skills Gap in Northeast Ohio · role of higher education to supply talent for it entry-level jobs in demand 29 it programs in ne ohio with the most completers