Fiber KC

Posted on Behalf of Centriq Training:

Do you know a friend or relative that is interested in starting a career in technology? If so, Centriq’s four-month TechSmart KC program may be the right opportunity for them. Every year, Centriq trains and helps place approximately 200 individuals in entry-level IT jobs here in Kansas City. Over 400 different companies have hired Centriq grads in the last four years. Last week, Centriq had over 25 companies (all with entry-level IT job openings) at their TechSmart KC job fair.

If you know anyone that is interested in technology or just looking for an alternative to college, refer them to Centriq’s TechSmart KC program and Centriq will give them a $1,000 scholarship towards their tuition – just because you referred them! Just go to www.centriq.com/scholarship and provide their contact information (or have them do it) and Centriq will do the rest.

Someone gave you an opportunity for a career in technology; take this opportunity to Pass IT On to someone else!

Caps tossed and diplomas in hand, thousands of new graduates are entering the workforce this month. Although the job market is steadily improving, many college graduates are joining an inundated workforce. It’s an employer’s market out there, and according to a recently released college graduate study conducted by the Rutgers University Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, grads are already feeling the pinch.

Nearly half of these recent grads reported feeling insecure about how their collegiate experience prepared them for the workforce. Despite an average of four years spent for their degree, 37 percent felt unprepared for getting a job, mostly because they did not feel they had acquired the skills employers were seeking.

During FiberKC’s technology workforce development discussion on May 8^th, participants stressed the importance of internships in building a strong technology workforce. Internships serve as real-world experience for high school and college students—they prepare would-be members of the workforce for the daily tasks, requirements and work environment in ways that classroom education cannot. And, as the Rutgers study demonstrates, internships can play a key role in preparing students for their professional lives.

According to the study, 69 percent of recent graduates who completed internships said college prepared them to be successful in their jobs. 10 percent fewer graduates who did not complete internships felt that college prepared them for the workforce. The numbers are similar with regards to securing employment post-graduation: 40 percent of those with internships said college did well in helping them find a job, while only 31 percent without internships agreed. Additionally, internships appear to bolster soft skills in recent grads—thus satisfying another area of interest from last week’s FiberKC discussion. Of respondents taking internships, they were 10 percentage points more likely than peers not taking internships to say they have extremely well-developed skills in the areas of leadership, communication and quantitative (math and technology) skills.

It’s clear from the study that internships are beneficial for students in all fields, but the results of the survey touch on the technology workforce problems we are experiencing closer to home. Nearly two out of three recent graduates would major in something different if they had the chance to go back. 37 percent of these regretful grads wish they had been more careful in choosing majors, and only 39 percent admitted thinking about the job opportunities in the field when deciding their majors in the first place. While many of these grads are likely looking for options because of the tight job market, most of them still seem unaware that the technology workforce is growing at twice the rate of the overall workforce—just 29 percent say they should have gone into a STEM major.

As the study states, “it is apparent that very little future-oriented thinking goes into the selection of college majors among college students.” The good news for businesses relying on the creation of robust technology workforce is that some grads are cluing in to the importance of technology in the workplace: the majority of recent graduates (56 percent) say they wish they had taken more computer and technology classes.

Technology-based internships could certainly provide hands-on experience to students interested in pursuing careers in technology, and as per the respondents of the Rutgers survey, these internships would help those students feel prepared to enter the workforce immediately following graduation. This could be a big bonus for businesses who feel as though their employment prospects are not adequately prepared for the realities of technology positions, but there’s another benefit here, too—as more students sample technology through internships, there is a good chance that they will have a better understanding of what technology work is actually like. In networking with mentors in the field, students can also begin to see that technology career paths are not just lucrative, but waiting with open arms to hire them post-graduation.

To read the full Rutgers University study, click here: http://www.heldrich.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/content/Chasing_American_Dream_Report.pdf

On May 8th, NetStandard CEO and FiberKC founder Jeff Melcher gathered more than 60 key business leaders, educators and government representatives at the Regnier Center of Johnson County Community College to discuss the gap between the number of qualified technology professionals and the available positions in Kansas City.

The half-day work session looked at two problem areas: the number of graduates available and the quality of the technology professionals entering the workforce. In a series of three breakout sessions, collaborators addressed key issues in the use of technology in the classroom, the image of technology professionals, the weak critical thinking and communication skills in technology graduates and the lack of students and educators who see technology as a viable career path. The session culminated in considerations for future FiberKC initiatives designed to engage educators, students, business leaders and government officials on a common path.

To read the full recap of Roll Call: KC’s IT Workforce, click here: http://www.netstandard.com/netstandard-hosts-rollcall/

We are a country of dreams, of businesses and people who do not shrink from a challenge; in fact we thrive on them.

The recent downturn is no exception, it has been challenging, and in many ways continues to be – but it is no different from those that we have faced in the past and will likely face in the future, the difference lies in how we choose to deal with them.

It is time to stop worrying about the new normal and embrace the “new reality” where we stop waiting for someone to tell us everything is going to be fine, that there is nothing to worry about… that the good old days are back.

Yes, uncertainty, risk and complexity are all part of the new normal, however, in the new reality it will be through the application of technology that the creative power of the individual will be realized, knowledge harnessed, value created, and possibilities made real – and in the new reality, we don’t need to ask permission of anybody in the government, or for that matter, anybody to be successful.

From challenge rises opportunity, and our attitude has always been one of finding a way to win – NOW is no different.

It’s time to start doing business again!

Collaborative event connects education and business leaders in an effort to create a robust IT workforce supply in Kansas City.

NetStandard announced today it will gather key business leaders, educators and government representatives to address the region’s weak university and college output in Information Technology (IT) graduates[1]. As U.S. IT employment grows at twice the rate of the overall job market, hitting an all-time high last month[2], the Kansas City area is below par in IT grad output. NetStandard leads a consortium, initially launched as FiberKC, that will coalesce in May to begin to identify solutions to this area workforce deficit.

“All businesses consume IT and Kansas City IT employers are already poaching resources from each other, limiting the ability for current and new area businesses to grow,” says Jeff Melcher, CEO of NetStandard. “To promote area business growth, we must create a steady stream of new and relevant IT job candidates. The easiest and most sustainable way to do that is through an increasing supply of local IT graduates that meet business needs.”

The event, Roll Call: KC’s IT Workforce, will be hosted by H&R Block on May 8^th and has received support from key participants such as NetStandard, Cerner, VML, KCNext: The Technology Council of Greater Kansas City, and the Mid America Regional Council (MARC). Attendees include area businesses and IT hiring influencers, the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Park University, Johnson County Community College, representatives from the K-12 sector and others.

The work session will address three key initiatives:

• Increasing the number of local K-12 and post-secondary students pursuing technology careers
• Better aligning area educational output with business needs
• Generating resource commitment among stakeholders to support the ongoing initiative

Attendees participating in Roll Call: KC’s IT Workforce will dedicate a half day to the work session for brainstorming ideas that can position Kansas City as a prime hub for IT workforce development. The event has attracted approximately 60 community leaders willing to contribute actionable ideas.

Roll Call: KC’s IT Workforce follows a FiberKC event held this past January that featured a panel discussion of IT hiring influencers from NetStandard, Cerner, VML, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Board of Public Utilities and Greentree/AB Pathfinder. Monitored by Stacey Cameron of KCTV5, the panel discussion identified the gap between business needs and educational output for IT jobs as a key issue for Kansas City’s technology community. The event, held at Boulevard Brewing Company, attracted a sold-out audience of approximately 180 attendees.

For more information or to inquire about participating in the event, please contact Terri Sallaz at tsallaz@netstandard.com or 913-428-4258.

About NetStandard Inc.

Established in 1996, NetStandard Inc. is a leading information technology business and data center headquartered at 2000 Merriam Lane in Kansas City, Kansas. NetStandard is a full service technology solutions company that delivers IT managed services, virtual machines, cloud computing platforms and data center facilities to small and mid-sized companies. NetStandard is also a nationwide cloud services provider delivering virtual server systems and applications to small and mid-sized businesses. For more information, visit www.netstandard.com or call 913-262-3888.