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IP: NRC -- Workforce issues in Information Technology -- ATTN: Silicon valley IPers
From: David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 21:58:01 -0400
The committee on workforce needs in information technology will have a hearing on Sept 24, Friday, in Silicon Valley to hear from individuals in the information technology workforce at large. To: Whom It May Concern Subject: A Study of Workforce Needs in Information Technology and Other High Technology Fields This message should be forwarded to any and all individuals or groups that may be interested. ----------------------------------------------- Career opportunities in information technology (IT) are getting a lot of attention. Employers complain that jobs go begging, educators are pitching new and improved training programs, and some people working in IT complain that they are frozen out of the better jobs, training, or advancement. With arguments flying, policy decisions are being made--about education and training, immigration, and so on. Cognizant of these arguments, the U.S. Congress asked the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies (which include the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine) to undertake a study of the high technology workforce, with a special emphasis on workforce needs in information technology. The purpose of this study is to establish a common base for national discussions on such issues, which include matters related to immigration, the use of foreign talent, and career paths of older workers in these fields. More information on this project is available on the project website at<http://www4.nationalacademies.org/cpsma/itwpublic2.nsf>, including a listing of committee members responsible for this project. Precisely because workforce issues are so controversial, the committee is interested in understanding the issues from the perspective of individuals with a direct stake in them, and it seeks the broadest range of input possible. Please help us. COMMUNICATING WITH THE COMMITTEE Information technology professionals are invited to communicate with the committee in one or more of the following ways. · Go to the project's online input form, which can be found at <http://www4.nationalacademies.org/cpsma/itwpublic2.nsf>. This form contains a number of questions, mostly about your personal job experiences, your concerns about careers in information technology, and your perspectives on public policy in this area. · Submit e-mail with comments to ITWINPUT () NAS EDU · Send comments via U.S. Mail: Workforce Project c/o Computer Science and Telecommunications Board National Research Council Mail Stop HA-560 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20418 · Testify in person at one of the committee's regional hearings (see "REGIONAL HEARINGS" below). PRIVACY POLICY The information you provide through the first three channels will be used only by the NRC's Committee on Workforce Issues in Information Technology for the project and by project staff. However, we will feel free to quote your responses (without specific attribution to you) in our final report or and other derived works unless you indicate otherwise. In any event, no identifying information will be made available to committee members, some of whom are senior executives in the information technology industry. REGIONAL HEARINGS The committee will be holding a number of regional hearings to solicit input from the field. The first hearing will be held on Friday, September 24, 1999, from 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm at the Biltmore Hotel & Suites, 2151 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara, CA 95045. In the interests of hearing the maximum number of people, speakers will be limited to a statement of 5 minutes each. Anyone who wishes to give oral testimony should submit his or her request to testimony should submit his or her request to ITWINPUT () NAS EDU. However, so that we can plan the time effectively, requests for oral testimony will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis, but only if received before noon on Monday, September 20. We strongly encourage you to submit written testimony, whether or not you testify in person. Note that the oral testimony will be recorded (for later use by the committee and its staff (and no one else)). The committee is especially interested in obtaining comments from workers in IT occupations about the workplace environment, opportunities to upgrade skills, the relevance of formal education to skills needed once employed, compensation, opportunities for promotion and career paths. It would be helpful, given those considerations, to hear views about whether there is a "shortage" of IT workers and, if there is, how it affects life at work. The complete schedule of regional hearings has not yet been determined, though one will be held in the Boston area in the December 8-10 time frame; a schedule of hearings and locations will be posted at the project web site <http://www4.nationalacademies.org/cpsma/itwpublic2.nsf> as individual locations become known. If these hearings are inconvenient, individuals may submit requests for personal presentations to the committee or to individual committee members at other times through these channels. The committee will respond affirmatively to the extent possible, but time and resource constraints will limit the number of such requests that can be honored. OPEN MEETINGS In addition to these regional hearings, members of the interested public are invited to attend the open sessions of future committee meetings. At present, the meeting schedule is September 22-24 in Santa Clara, California December 8-10 in Boston, Massachusetts April 24-26 in Washington, DC Locations and meeting agendas (indicating the open portions of meetings) will be available through the project web site at <http://www4.nationalacademies.org/cpsma/itwpublic2.nsf>. On the National Research Council The National Research Council (NRC) is the operating arm of the National Academies, which include the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The NRC is a source of impartial and independent advice to the federal government and other policy makers that is able to bring to bear the best scientific and technical talent in the nation to answer questions of national significance. In addition, it often acts as a neutral party in convening meetings among multiple stakeholders on any given issue, thereby facilitating the generation of consensus on controversial issues. The Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB), the NRC unit leading this project, considers technical and policy issues pertaining to computer science, telecommunications, and associated technologies. CSTB monitors the health of the computer science, computing technology, and telecommunications fields, including attention as appropriate to the issues of human resources and information infrastructure and initiates studies involving computer science, computing technology, and telecommunications as critical resources and sources of national economic strength. More information on CSTB can be found at <http://www.cstb.org>.
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- IP: NRC -- Workforce issues in Information Technology -- ATTN: Silicon valley IPers David Farber (Sep 13)