Matching IT Jobs with IT People.

Employers are experiencing difficulties filling vacancies for information technology (IT) positions because of rapid growth in the demand for IT workers, high turnover, and the unique characteristics of IT work. In response to the growing demand for IT workers, public and private education and training providers are expanding their offerings and public and private organizations are working to match jobseekers with IT job vacancies. To increase their success in meeting employers' and jobseekers' needs, these services must align more closely with employers' internal labor markets and tailor themselves to the unique characteristics of IT work and workers. Education and training providers must understand the specific enduring and perishable hard (technological) and soft knowledge and skills required for success in IT jobs. The consensus of the research is that successfully solving IT problems requires not just theoretical knowledge and abstract skills but also the ability to apply such knowledge and skills to the social and technical context of the problem at hand. Working together to create internships for students and trainees could be the first step toward more sustained partnerships between IT employers and education and training providers. The regional training consortium is a promising model for creating sustainable partnerships to integrate work and learning. (Contains 37 references.) (MN)