WHITEWATER In the last five years, enrollment in information technology
(IT) programs has declined by 70 percent across the nation. It is estimated
that by 2012, there will be five million IT jobs that cannot be filled. Many
trade journals are calling the current shortage of IT professionals a
crisis. As a response to this crisis, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
is hosting an ³iFair² at Washington High School in Milwaukee Nov. 29 for
middle school students.
³Parents and counselors are telling children that there is no future for the
IT field, but really there has never been more IT jobs than there are right
now, and the job field will continue to grow,² said Bob Horton, professor of
management computer systems and iFair coordinator. ³We want to generate
excitement among the students so they consider how exciting a career in IT
would be.²
The iFair will showcase 20 booths sponsored by companies and educational
institutions featuring highly interactive displays of various IT industries.
For example, one booth will allow students to custom design a motorcycle and
plan a road trip. Another booth will show a virtual tour of Milwaukee from
the air, and students will be able to zoom between buildings, go over the
lake and land in a park, among other actions.
Companies and educational institutions that are involved include:
· American Family Insurance
· Apple, Inc.
· Aurora Health Care
· Badger Meter
· GE Medical
· Great Lakes Higher Education
· Harley-Davidson
· Northwestern Mutual
· Rockwell International
· United Water
· Wells Fargo
· West Bend Mutual Insurance
· First Robotics
· MATC
· Marquette University
· MPS Technology
· Project Lead The Way
· Society of Mechanical Engineers
· UW-Whitewater
The UW-Whitewater student chapter of the Association for Information
Technology Professionals (AITP) will staff the UW-Whitewater booth at the
iFair.
³Many companies are feeling pain because of not being able to hire people,²
Horton said. ³Students are so well-versed in technology, but are being told
that IT is not a good field to go into. Students need to know the options
that are out there.²
This is the second iFair that Horton has organized. There will be another
iFair in March or April to be held at Harley-Davidson for Milwaukee Public
School high school students. Horton has hopes to expand the iFair to other
communities who would like to expose students to an IT career.
³I¹m eager to work with other school districts, companies and others to make
this happen outside of Milwaukee,² he said. ³This is a statewide and
nationwide issue.²
