The Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development and the Oregon Council for Knowledge and Economic Development are sponsoring the development of an Information Technology (IT) Occupations Roadmap. Recent studies indicate that there are approximately 65,000- 75,000 direct IT related jobs in Oregon with over 80% percent of these jobs found outside the high tech industry in settings such as hospitals, banks, distribution centers, agricultural processors, business services, manufacturers and others. The project will focus on five broad occupational areas: IT Management, Marketing & Sales, Network & Infrastructure, Architecture & Development, Interactive Media & Communications, and Technical Support and other related IT functions. The project will gather input from Oregon CIO's and IT professionals and combine the input with national best practice research to:
1. Determine demand for IT jobs in Oregon, including geographic and industry distribution.
2. Identify critical economic and workforce trends that will affect on the supply and demand of IT jobs, and the key skills and competencies that will be required over the next 5-10 years.
3. Determine IT workforce gaps including the capacity of our educational system to produce new hires and keep incumbent workers up to date on new skills and technologies.
4. Develop innovative solutions that can address identified IT needs and establish a framework for how the state can support our technology workforce.
What Have We Done and Where Are We Now?
In May, we interviewed large and small businesses that employ IT professionals, along with staffing firms and contracting agencies to understand the changing dynamics of out technology workforce in Oregon and worldwide. In early June, a statewide survey of 200 businesses was completed that provided an array of data on IT employment trends, job projections, and education and training issues. Now we are asking businesses and organizations that employ IT workers to help us understand what is behind the survey data and national and international trends.
How Can You Help?
We know there are fundamental shifts taking place that affect our technology workforce ranging from infrastructure standardization to the increased outsourcing of IT jobs overseas. Therefore, we are asking businesses to attend focus groups in Portland, the Willamette Valley, Central Oregon or Southern Oregon to help us better understand how Oregon can respond to technology trends and enhance the competitiveness of our technology workforce. Each focus group will last approximately 90 minutes and will cover the following topics:
1. Understanding the impacts of technology workforce trends (including survey data) and their implications to Oregon businesses.
2. Identifying what IT related jobs might look like in five years and what type of employer training and institutional education will best prepare workers for future jobs.
3. Determining specific actions the state can take to adapt to IT trends and increase the competitiveness of our technology workforce.
We invite you to be a part of this project and to help shape Oregon's technology workforce. Your input during the focus group will be combined with the survey data and national best practice research to develop an IT Occupational Roadmap for Oregon that will released in September 2003.
I strongly encourage your involvement and for you to pass this info on to anyone you think would/should be involved. It's a 90 minute forum where they will present what they have learned so far and allow us to share our opinions, thoughts and concerns.
The event can be one of 3 days (July 16, 17 or 18th)and we can hold it at the "tech pav" in the morning before the fair opens or we can find another venue. Please vote your preference and register to attend this important event ASAP at http://www.sottc.org/FormPage.asp?FormID=2
