Fighting the Global War for Talent – Schools are on Front Lines

SAN FRANCISCO — Editor's note: WRAL Local Tech Wire has added another feature with the launch of the "Innovation Exchange." Noah Garrett, former executive director of communications for the North Carolina Technology Association, is a creative spirit, from writing music to news stories, who recently launched his own communications consulting firm. The focus of the Innovation Exchange is just that – creating a Web community through which people can exchange ideas and foster creativity.

Participate in the Exchange. Send ideas and feedback to: noah@thinkngc.com

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Is the technology industry's ominous skills shortage and shrinking talent pool a ticking time bomb? In the global war for talent, the education system in the U.S. is falling short while businesses scramble to find the best employees – wherever that may be.

There is a tremendous corporate movement happening in this country right now that supports building a knowledge-based economy and for U.S. businesses to take an active role in improving resources in academics and advocating for a technology literate 21st Century Student.

Expanding domestic companies are working to ensure that they have an ample supply of engineering talent to hire in the coming years to remain globally competitive. In addition to supporting broader educational programs, some companies have been funding classroom training and curricula in school districts where they have facilities nearby in hopes that it will help them develop "home-grown" engineers.

Schools welcome the materials and much-needed resources, but critics say the initiatives add a commercial agenda to academics.

Is that bad? Perhaps, but, I certainly can think are far worse things for our slumping economy and poor educational outlook facing this country in the future.

Continual changes in the dynamics of the global labor force are having a major impact on the way employers around the world conduct their affairs. Technology is shifting organizational missions, strategies and objectives and has been described as one of the five most important variables in the future of business. Yet, all indications are that organizations will face a technology talent crunch in the future.

Last year, more than 270,000 U.S. college freshmen were surveyed and only 7.5 percent of those students said they planned to major in engineering. According to the Wall Street Journal, that's the lowest level since the 1970s. The irony is that the number of technology jobs continues to grow but fewer young American women and men are choosing technology-related fields of study, even though the job pool is readily available.

State spending on K-12 education also has grown in real dollar terms in the past decade. Declining housing values now threaten to eat into property-tax revenues; which also eats away at state budgets. Teachers, meanwhile, often welcome the lesson plans, classroom equipment and the corporate-sponsored professional development sessions. But, however well-intentioned, such corporate input may blur the line between pure academics and a commercial agenda, critics say.

Technology professionals must change their focus – from the "techie side" to the "user side" – transitioning from technology bells and whistles to more problem-solving. The move away from "bits and bytes" calls for a new kind of technology leadership. Also, recruiting and retaining skilled employees within a constantly shrinking talent pool will continue to be a critical component to the success of any business in the near future.

The criticism that corporate donations into public schools may be placing hiring priorities ahead of broader educational goals is legitimate. However, weigh that against the needs of cash-strapped school districts throughout America, it begs the question: How many public schools would be offering courses in aerospace engineering or robotics without such support?

What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.