Education and Industry Experts Address the Growing Tech Skills Gap at SXSWedu
March 08 2017 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
DeVry University hosts panel of thought
leaders, offering solutions to fill demand for tech skills in
today’s workforce
Yesterday evening, DeVry University hosted a panel at the
SXSWedu national education conference in Austin, Texas. The
session, titled, “The Tech Skills Gap: What Can Employers &
Educators Do?” explored the growing technology skills gap and
solutions to bridge it from the perspectives of an employer,
educator and a tech entrepreneur.
Panelists included:
- Moderator Alexandra Levit, chair
of the Career Advisory Board and journalist for Mashable and The
New York Times
- Randi Zuckerberg, founder and
CEO of Zuckerberg Media and The New York Times bestselling
author
- Robert Paul, president of DeVry
University
- Sara Ley, digital learning and
technology leader at General Electric (GE)
The panel discussed the results of a study released earlier this
week from the Career Advisory Board on the growing technology
skills gap. The research found:
- Only 11 percent of organizations
believe higher education is very effective in meeting the skill
needs of their organization
- More than half (57 percent) agree it is
common for job applicants to lack skills in technology that are
important for success
In addition to a shortage of the hard tech skills – such as
computer programming or web design – the research discovered a
broader concern among employers over the lack of applied tech
skills. Applied tech skills refer to individuals understanding how
to use technology for the benefit of an organization. In fact, 77
percent of respondents said a company’s competitive advantage lies
in using applied tech skills to solve problems, and they desire a
workforce well-equipped with the proper skills to do so. These
findings around the market demand for both applied and hard tech
skills became a focal point for the panel discussion.
“Traditionally, degree programs with a focus on technology
tended to have a hard tech skill slant needed within a particular
industry,” said Robert Paul, president of DeVry University. “We
know that it’s imperative to broaden our approach, which is why
DeVry embeds applied technology at the core of our curriculum, so
our students can understand how to leverage technology, connecting
people, process, data and devices to solve real-world business
problems.”
“It’s vital for students to learn the skills needed to succeed
in the always-evolving tech industry,” said Randi Zuckerberg, CEO
of Zuckerberg Media and advocate for tech education at an early
age. “In order to achieve this, educators and employers must come
together and start a dialogue on how to make an impact and create
curriculums that translate to the technology skills required in
today’s workforce.”
One such example was discussed by GE’s Sara Ley. In order to
upskill its current workforce, GE partners with educators, like
DeVry University, to provide training and degree opportunities to
meet the skill needs of its business as part of GE’s “BrilliantYOU”
educational offering. On the educator side, DeVry develops and
updates its degree programs and boot camps with input from industry
leaders to help prepare students upon graduation.
Solutions to Closing the Tech Skills
Gap
In addition to better collaboration between employers and
educators, the panel also explored solutions to help close the tech
skills gap:
- Dedicated industry advisory boards
for educators – educators and industry advisors should create
consistent touch points, digging into the curriculum and
understanding what updates need to be reflected to meet today’s
business demands.
- Evolving toward a vision of
“anytime, anywhere” education for students – educators and
employers should converge onsite and online learning opportunities,
to both provide convenience and flexibility for today’s student,
but also model how technology is used in business. DeVry, for
example, developed connected-classroom technology in partnership
with Cisco, at campuses across the country. The extended classrooms
allow students to take part in active learning sessions and
interact, in real time, with one professor while at different
campus locations - an experience that mirrors the way employees
interact in today’s workplace.
- Provide students and employees
access to the latest technologies – one of the most effective
ways to learn is through experience. Students and employees should
have access to some of the latest technologies, simply for the
purpose of experimentation, ideation and learning. The more you
engage, the more comfortable you are with the medium.
“We’re taking the tech skills gap head-on and doing our part to
prepare students,” Paul said. “Stronger collaboration between
employer partners, along with embedding technology in our
curriculum, is a great start. There is certainly a lot more work to
be done among educators and employees, and we look forward to
building upon these solutions.”
For more information about DeVry University, visit:
devry.edu.
About DeVry University
DeVry University’s mission is to foster student learning through
high-quality, career-oriented education integrating technology,
business, science and the arts. Founded in 1931, the university
offers undergraduate and graduate programs onsite and online
within its five distinguished colleges of study: Business &
Management, Engineering & Information Sciences, Health
Sciences, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Media Arts &
Technology. The university is accredited by The Higher Learning
Commission (HLC, www.hlcommission.org).
With locations across the U.S., DeVry University is one of the
largest private-sector universities in North America. The
university is a part of DeVry Education Group (NYSE: DV), a global
provider of educational services. To learn more about DeVry
University, visit devry.edu.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170308005214/en/
DeVry UniversityDonna
Shaultsdshaults@devry.edu630-353-9013orKetchumAbbye
LakinAbbye.Lakin@Ketchum.com312-228-6809
Adtalem Global Education (NYSE:ATGE)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Adtalem Global Education (NYSE:ATGE)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024