Attracting the Next Generation

Project Manager: Johnnie Shockley, (402) 554-4979 or johnette.c.shockley@usace.army.mil

If you are a FIATECH member and would like to participate in this project, email us!

Overview | Business Case | Deliverables| Activities | Participants | Resources

Project Participants

Seeking FIATECH members to join this project. Interested individuals should contact Johnnie at (402) 554-4979.

Sponsors

  • Dr. Deepak Khazanchi, Assoc. Dean, Academic Affairs, College of Information Science & Technology, University of Nebraska at Omaha

  • Dr. Mahadevan Subramaniam, Department of Computer Science, College of IS&T, UNO

  • Dr. Haifeng Guo, Department of Computer Science, College of IS&T, UNO

  • Dr. Ilze Zigurs, Department Chair and Professor of Information Systems, College of Information Science & Technology, University of Nebraska at Omaha

  • Johnette Shockley, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ERDC, Element 8 Champion 

Overview

To collectively achieve synergy in recruiting the next generation workforce in technology-related fields by creating a shared resource that will be available to all in an interactive and flexibly manner.

Business Case

Numerous organizations and government agencies have efforts underway to address workforce issues in technology-related fields. Synergy among the different agencies and approaches has not occurred. Best practices need to be shared.

Technology-related fields such as information technology, engineering and construction are experiencing severe shortages of qualified personnel. This is a complex and multi-dimensional problem that includes a significant gap between the actual nature of opportunities in these fields and the perceptions of such stakeholders as potential students, teachers, school counselors, and parents of potential students.

We know there are many people and organizations working on different aspects of this problem yet, even in this day and age of instant communication, those efforts are undertaken in relative isolation.

The resource will utilize leading-edge technology that will provide new ways of interacting with and sharing information. Blogs and wikis are now commonplace, for example, but we are now seeing growing use of 3-D immersive environments that are worth examining for some aspects of this project. The online repository will be implemented using leading-edge technology that provides an interactive and engaging interface for stakeholders with a variety of needs.

Deliverables

  • A repository of best practices in recruitment of people in technology-related fields.

  • Identification of patterns of best practices. The patterns will be identified through the repository of existing practices to the extent possible.

  • Interactive exercises for target populations, to help potential students and others understand the nature of different jobs and how their interests could align with those jobs.

  • An overview of existing mechanisms in practice today (for example: competitions, workshops, tours) and potential insight into new ideas to consider.

  • Recommendations for next steps.

Activities

Status

Announced and distributed RFP in mid-April. Expect work to initiate in May.

Resources

 

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