Rationale/Goals
Rationale of the Program:
WOW research has shown that the shortage of skilled Web professional workers has been created by:
- A limited number of educators with specialties in the subject area of Web design and Information Technologies
- Efforts by industry to recruit existing educators from the classroom
- Low student enrollment
- Lack of relevant curriculum and materials
- A need to provide staff development to existing educators and trainers
- Inadequate funding for ongoing educational efforts
- Unaffordable and inflexible job retraining for IT/Web re-entry job candidates
- Underrespresentation of Women, mid-career professionals, minorities and disabled in the technical education pipeline
Goals of the Project:
The goals of the Seven-Step Program are:
- Create an ongoing Web professional education and training program to assist industry and increase the number of Web professionals in the field
- Develop scholarship programs to encourage diversity and training of IT students
- Create joint education opportunities between government, business and education, including internships
- Create education and training programs to keep educators current
- Create an industry panel to promote diversity in the workplace
- Encourage students to consider an IT career by publicizing employment
opportunities