Alan Stromberg (astrombe@acns.fsu.edu)
Fri, 30 Jul 1999 16:36:48 -0400
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1999 16:36:48 -0400 From: Alan Stromberg <astrombe@acns.fsu.edu> Subject: Learn by doing
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Greetings to the group.
I would like to respond to Dr P J French's statement "in Australia..if
yu can't do it, teach it", although I generally agree with Dr. French's
argument. That statement translates in the US as those who can't do,
teach. I've been a computer trainer in industry, community colleges
(vocational ed) and now at the university level for over 15 years and
that statement strikes a raw nerve since it has always been delivered in
the pejorative by smug managers and executives who wanted to show that
teaching is not really a skilled profession.
Well, now it seems that industry especially the IT (Information
Technology) sector wants their workers to be retrained in a big way.
Let me share the following:
A current study from the Informational Technology Association of America
(ITAA) and its 'Help Wanted Study' shows that "robust growth in
technology use in much of the economy has created a surge in the demand
for workers with IT skills. Increased demand for IT workers is reported
by employers across the country, and, if fact, across the globe." The
Task Force Reports continues "It affects not only the IT industry itself
but also its customers, a wide range of employers. The ITAA study and a
number of localized studies are predicting an escalation of the problem
over the next eight to ten years."(ITAA Task Force Reports, 1999)
A more focused view of the problems faced by many in the new Information
Age workplace is that "many employers seek IT-capable workers to
implement technology they need to be competitive in their industries.
The expanded demand for relevant IT skills is fueled by growth in
technology use in industry and by home use.. . . Constant IT innovation
makes technical skills ephemeral and continual training imperative for
competitiveness. In response to the challenge, em