Front Page
During the last year, GDI staff and
colleagues within EDC's Center for
Education, Employment, and Community have helped focus the national
discussion on opening up the IT pipeline to a wider array of workers. GDI
director Katherine Hanson and
Joyce Malyn-Smith, director of a number of IT
projects within CEEC, were both invited to participate with the
National Policy Association's (NPA) national
fact-finding study.
In our emerging "information society" where what we earn depends on what
we learn, access to technology and training in the skills to use it is a
critical component of economic survival. But closing the gap is not a problem
that government can tackle alone: businesses, unions and nonprofit
organizations will have to do their part.
The most effective way to reduce these disparities is to pay more attention
to the improvement of the education and training of the existing workforce.
Concerns about the high cost of employee turnover, labor shortages, and
increasing numbers of baby boom retirements are incentives for growing
numbers of employers to get involved in workforce development efforts.
Employers are now facing a shortage of skilled workers who are no longer
easily replaced. This is encouraging businesses to train people they
previously overlooked.
The National Policy Association (NPA) has convened an 18-month project to
determine how best to address this issue. "Crossing the Digital Divide to
Digital Economic Opportunity" is taking a hard look at the various challenges
facing women and people of color within the emerging IT workforce. Through a
series of regional and local meetings, the NPA is gathering information,
examples, success stories, and challenges from individuals and organizations
around the country. The results of these are compiled into a series of
reports with recommendations that will help move the national agenda ahead.
In June, Ms. Malyn-Smith participated in the first session, held in
Boston. Her presentation of the Pathway Pipeline Model of IT helped define
the issue. In December Ms. Hanson facilitated a panel on women and
minorities in IT as part of the second session, held in Kansas City,
Missouri.
The National Policy Association was founded in 1934 by distinguished
business and labor leaders who believed that the private sector should
actively participate in the formulation of public policy. Since its
foundation, NPA's goal has been to seek common ground on effective and
innovative strategies that address a range of cutting-edge issues of vital
significance to the security and prosperity of America. This newest
initiative promises to have significant impact on our future planning and
policy. For more information on this project click
here.
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