Hartford Business Journal

46 Hartford Business Journal • December 22, 2014 www.HartfordBusiness.com Industry Focus E c o n o m i c F o r E c a s t ExpErts cornEr Growing tech education, workforce key to CT's future By Bruce Carlson I n 2015 and beyond, the technology sector will be the driver of job growth in Con- necticut. In Connecticut, we will be happy to keep our defense and financial services jobs steady, while we see a steady growth in technol- ogy jobs. However, there is a big cloud on the horizon that will be the largest impediment to job growth in the technology sector. That cloud is the availability of a qualified workforce for our tech- nology companies. The lack of available skilled workers is already lead- ing to companies decid- ing to expand or start in other locations. The Connecticut Technology Council (CTC) conducted a survey in May of this year of our member companies and the results were both compelling and concerning. Most importantly, 98 percent of the survey respondents said they would be hiring in the second half of 2014 and in 2015. It is always dangerous to extrapolate from a survey, but if we look at the average number of new hires expected and assume it is representa- tive of the 3,000 tech firms in Connecticut, there will be a demand for 12,000 new hires. What was most surprising was that this hiring was not only for entry level positions, but also an equal number of mid-level hires. Troublesome for us is that the companies said the hiring was neces- sary, even if the location was not Connecticut. The problem is that there is all this demand, and dwindling supply. This demand isn't short term, nor is it isolated to Connecticut. Globally, there is a shortage of software engineers. Some jurisdictions like Great Britain have accepted that this is a long-term problem and have imple- mented a curriculum for all of their public schools that begins teaching coding skills in kindergarten, and in eighth grade the student can decide to focus on a career in software development and get into more intensive cours- es. When fully implemented, all eighth graders in Great Britain will be proficient in coding. What about us, particularly in this global economy where the location of an IT-based company will be more and more dependent on where the workforce is? We have some forays into making a difference, but they are indepen- dent and restricted in what they can accom- plish. Let's shine a light on two of them: The P-TECH program has its first partnership in Norwalk between IBM, Norwalk Community College and the Norwalk public schools. Ninth grade students who choose to enter into P-TECH will be trained in software development, men- tored by IBM personnel, and will graduate high school with an associate degree along with a high school diploma. Based on a successful partnership that IBM piloted in Brooklyn, this is serving as the model for future programs in Connecticut. Already plans are underway to implement the P-TECH model in advanced man- ufacturing in the southeastern part of the state. A-100, based in New Haven, trains univer- sity software development students in practi- cal application of their academic derived skills and knowledge. Offering a two-month training course followed by a paid internship that works on real-life projects, A-100's goal is to have avail- able workforce for the emerging technology companies that are starting up in Connecti- cut. This is a model that is scalable and could become a great resource for small-and medium- sized companies as well. The good news is that people are working hard to find ways to meet the demand. Unfor- tunately, the demand is far greater than will come out of these programs. Much more needs to be done if we want to keep our current com- panies growing in Connecticut and encourage new companies to start. It is time to think at the scale that Great Britain is thinking. It is the key to Connecticut's job growth that everyone is hoping for, and needs to be addressed. n Bruce Carlson is president of the Connecticut Technology Council. Bruce Carlson Education ▶ ▶ The lack of available skilled workers is already leading to companies deciding to expand or start in other locations. From Central Connecticut's trusted business news source. It's the up-to-date information you need to do better business! Get local breaking business news daily! Sign up today at HartfordBusiness.com: Click on the 'subscribe' button HBJToday and P.O Box 331112 West Hartford CT 06133 www.lotsofsmilesphotoboothct.com Contact Daniel Rodriguez at 860.778.3612 or lotsofsmilesphotobooth@gmail.com Bring Lots of Smiles to your next business event! With the latest in booth technology including green screen technology and personalized custom templates, interactive touch screen TV inside the booth you choose. This booth can fit 8-10 people with a 22" monitor outside so everyone outside is in on the fun! We have the latest HITI high quality photo printer which develops in seconds. Go to our website and see our packages or call for a customized package. We will match any competitors price.

• Cover