The Skilled Worker Shortage: University Partnerships

1
The Skilled Worker ShortageUniversity
Partnerships

• October 30, 2000
• Networks for People Conference
• Randal D. Pinkett, Ph.D. Candidate
• MIT Media Laboratory
• Inner City Consulting Group

2
Agenda

• I. The Skilled Worker Shortage
• II. Why Partner with a College/University?
• III. Three Examples at MIT
• IV. Challenges and Recommendations

3
The Skilled Worker Shortage
Between 1996 and 2006, "the United States will
require more than 1.3 million new highly skilled
workers in IT occupations...
Office of Technology Policy The Digital Work
Force Building Infotech Skills at the Speed of
Innovation
4
The Skilled Worker Shortage
the US will need an average of about 137,800
per year to fill newly created jobs (1,134,000)
and to replace workers who are leaving these
fields (244,000).
Office of Technology Policy The Digital Work
Force Building Infotech Skills at the Speed of
Innovation
5
The Skilled Worker Dilemma

• Technical assistance is either ongoing and
  cost-prohibitive, or sporadic and cost-ineffective

6
Why Partner with a University?

• Students can offer technical assistance and
  consultation
• Colleges and universities can provide resources
  (e.g., computers, monitors, printers, etc.)
• Departments may support related research (e.g.,
  evaluation)
• Grants and fundraising

7
Potential Partners

• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Computer Science
• Library Science or Information Science
• Education or Educational Technology
• Information Technology or Services
• Urban Studies and Planning
• Office of Community Service

8
Three Examples at MIT

• Computer Clubhouse
• 6.916 Software Engineering of Innovative Web
  Services
• Camfield Estates-MIT Creating Community
  Connections Project

9
Computer Clubhouse

• An after-school learning center where youth
  become fluent with new technological tools
• UNIVERSITY SUPPORT Volunteers, Meeting Space,
  Food, Consultation, Training, New Technologies

10
6.916 Software Engineering

• A semester-long course (Fall and Spring) where
  undergraduate and graduate students build
  cutting-edge websites
• UNIVERSITY SUPPORT Assessment, Website Design
  and Implementation, and Ongoing Technical Support

6.916
11
Camfield Estates-MIT

• A university-community partnership to investigate
  the role of community technology for the purpose
  of community building in a low-income housing
  development
• UNIVERSITY SUPPORT Infrastructure, Consultation,
  Training, Research and
  Evaluation

Camfield
Estates
.net
12
Challenges with University Support

• Student involvement can be intermittent
• Exam-to-exam
• Season-to-season
• Year-to-year
• Knowledge becomes decentralized

13
Recommendations

• Identify your needs first
• Seek an appropriate academic partner
• Do your research!
• Identify an internal advocate
• Class Professor
• Department
• Research Group
• Community Service/Volunteer Office

14
Recommendations

• Understand that universities are often huge
  bureaucracies
• Continue recruiting efforts on an ongoing basis

15
The Skilled Worker ShortageUniversity
Partnerships

• Randal D. Pinkett, Ph.D. Candidate
• MIT Media Laboratory
• http//www.media.mit.edu/rpinkett/papers
• Inner City Consulting Group
• http//www.innercitygroup.com