The number and quality of students in the IT workforce development pipeline is seriously low and of deep concern. This is a national issue, as well as one we face in state of Wisconsin. Statistics show that there is an overall decline in students committing to the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).



To address the problem, ITAWi's top initiative is workforce development. The association is working to develop solutions to bolster the IT workforce in the state, starting with students at a young age. The association aims to host high profile events and programs with the explicit intent to inject "energy", "excitement," "incentives," and "commitment" into the population of middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college freshmen and sophomores.

There is the need for a paradigm shift as "talking head" events and traditional classrooms cannot alone motivate students to commit to the STEM disciplines. We also need students coaching students into the STEM, scholarship incentives, inventive learning experiences, new and exciting ways to learn and truly inspiring IT events - so that the IT fields can effectively compete with alternative careers.

The Wisconsin Technology Network presented a series of articles in 2007 on the Workforce Development issue. To read more, click here.