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Making tech jobs cool again; Industry Insiders, experts weigh in on how to attract young people into IT training and jobs in the province New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal Monday, January 29, 2007 Declining enrolments in information and technology courses at colleges and universities has IT companies and educators pondering how to make tech jobs cool again. While New Brunswick is poised to add up to 1,700 new IT jobs over the next five years, the popularity of IT related courses has declined in the wake of the dot-com bust of 2001. Solutions to attracting more young people into IT and keeping them in the field range from improving the number of students in advanced math and science courses in high school to creating enticing work environments. Others believe the key to increasing enrolments in IT program lies not in convincing the students, but rather in swaying parents. Andy Woyzbun, the lead analyst for research firm Info-Tech Research Group Inc., said increasing difficulty in high school subjects such as advanced math and physical sciences had led to a smaller pool of students interested in IT. That in turn had led to a smaller pool of potential IT graduates for the industry to draw upon. Students have also become wary of a future in IT because of concerns about off-shoring and outsourcing of technology jobs to other countries. "I think the publicity around off-shoring and outsourcing kind of set the perception of a future in (IT) may not be all that great," said the Toronto- based consultant. In order to get more youth interested in a career in IT, the industry has to reach out to schools, he said. "You've got to start early, you've got to expose the kids who are making career decisions at the high school level (to a career in IT)," he said. "I think the best way industry can do that is to create opportunities, whether it's summer jobs or apprenticeships during the school year." Dale Ritchie, owner of McKenzie College in Moncton, said he doesn't believe it's the students who need to be convinced about a career in IT. "The kids recognize the opportunities but the parents don't," he said. Instead of taking an IT program in a college, many parents encourage them to go to university instead, he said. "So our school, we do get a lot of university graduates who spent $50,000 to get a degree in business but they're not employable in the knowledge industry because they don't know any of the applications." Ritchie's private school provides post-secondary training in arts and design such as graphic design and animation, two fields in high demand in IT. He points to the burgeoning video game industry, which is rapidly outpacing film, television and music in annual revenues, as one of the many opportunities for young IT professionals. Jeff Roach, executive director of PropelSJ's business accelerator program, said the key to stimulating more interest among young people in the Port City is letting them know that there will be plenty of good IT jobs available. While industrial jobs such as the 1,000 full-time positions which will be created if Irving Oil builds a second refinery have received a great deal of media attention, the city's projected growth in tech jobs haven't received the same level of exposure, he said. Over the next five years the IT sector in Saint John is expected to add 1, 300 full-time jobs, he said. "There's greater opportunity available in IT (in Saint John) than there will be at the second refinery," he said. Roach said another key to attracting young people into IT is creating and promoting creative and comfortable workplaces. He points to both Mariner Partners and Ambir as New Brunswick companies with well-thought out and attractive workplaces. "You've got to create an authentic environment that people feel engaged and creative in," he said. "You take any high school student and show them what Mariner Partners workspace (in the Red Rose Tea building) looks like, (and they'll see) it's really cool." Ian Cavanagh, chief executive officer of Ambir, which specializes in IT consulting, said fostering a welcoming workplace is an important part of attracting and retaining talented staff. "I think for our organization we strive to have a professional environment, but one that has a certain feel to it," he said. "It's not conventional desks with cubicles so it doesn't feel corporate. It feels like an environment where people can express themselves." © 2007 Telegraph-Journal (New Brunswick) |