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Results below are from employers in these industries: Information Technology (IT)
They are talking about these topics: Current Continuing Education, Educational Partnerships, Experience & Credentials, General Skills, Industry Trends, Needs & Challenges in Continuing Education, Occupation-Specific Skills, Workforce Trends & Challenges
Your Selections:
Industry
Information Technology (IT)
Topic
Current Continuing Education
Educational Partnerships
Experience & Credentials
General Skills
Industry Trends
Needs & Challenges in Continuing Education
Occupation-Specific Skills
Workforce Trends & Challenges
| Information Technology (IT) | Current Continuing Education | Incumbent employees are expected and encouraged to take the initiative in learning new technologies and introducing them to employers. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Current Continuing Education | Soft skills incumbent training center around project management, business skills, and communication. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Current Continuing Education | Technical incumbent training topics include new technology, such as cloud, virtualization, and application development. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Current Continuing Education | While some employers send incumbent employees off-site for training, many have professional development units that develop in-house training. Vendor training is frequently used for new software/technologies that businesses purchase. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Educational Partnerships | A few employers already do or would like to work directly with colleges to place graduating students into entry level positions. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Educational Partnerships | A few respondents express concern about the inability to transfer credits between institutions. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Educational Partnerships | Employers recommend finding ways to increase instructors' connection to the industry to ensure a better understanding of changing technologies. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Educational Partnerships | Industry leaders point to the importance of creating K-12 partnerships in order to educate children about technology and IT-related careers. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Educational Partnerships | For primary curricular recommendations, employers suggest phone application coursework, additional group work to enhance teamwork skills, and training on security protocols. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Educational Partnerships | Many respondents are already partnering with educational institutions (through advisory boards and other committees) to develop and modify curricula. They emphasize the importance of this ongoing communication since the industry is continuously evolving. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Educational Partnerships | Respondents assert the importance of creating experiential learning partnerships. This means businesses and educational institutions working together to create a solid network of internships and other practical experiences for students to explore. Both businesses and higher education acknowledge challenges exist to creating such a system, but both sets of respondents demonstrate a genuine interest in creating something that would prove beneficial to all stakeholders. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Experience & Credentials | For entry-level technicians, employers look for a minimum of an associate degree. Some say that associate-level technicians tend to have more practical experience, while bachelor-level technicians tend to have stronger soft skills. Some respondents feel that candidates coming from disciplines other than IT can be successful technicians as well. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Experience & Credentials | Internships and other forms of practical experience, such as working at a college IT desk or building a program in the candidate's spare time, are highly sought after in new hires. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Experience & Credentials | Employers emphasize they can provide extensive on-the-job training for new hires to ensure competency in the specific programs used within their sector of the industry. Therefore, a basic skill set is more important than vendor-specific certifications. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | General Skills | Employers see a need for additional training in basic application and interviewing skills among entry-level candidates. Several employers report receiving incomplete or inadequate cover letters, resumes, and applications. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | General Skills | Employers say that professionalism is sometimes lacking in new hires. This includes work ethic, quality of work, and realistic expectations of the work environment. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | General Skills | Employers would like to see more technologists who have business knowledge, particularly budgeting skills when consulting with clients. It is also important that technologists understand the organizational ramifications of their technical decisions when working with various businesses. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | General Skills | The industry looks for employees with critical thinking and problem solving skills. Some report that these could be improved among new hires. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | General Skills | Some respondents report that new hires need to possess stronger project management skills, stronger leadership skills, and greater critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | General Skills | Employers in the IT field look for well-rounded new hires. The ideal candidate has strong communication skills, business sense, leadership abilities, consultation skills and broad technical knowledge. Small businesses tend to look for generalists since their positions are less specialized and require a variety of tasks. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | General Skills | Employers look for individuals who are passionate about the field and are self-motivated to learn new technologies. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | General Skills | Employers desire candidates with strong communication skills, both verbal and written. They look for new hires who possess interpersonal skills, which enable them to communicate professionally with their colleagues and work effectively on a team. These skills are often lacking. Some respondents attribute this lack to the younger generations having less experience with face-to-face communication. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | General Skills | Consultation skills are essential for IT professionals since they must work directly with clients to assess and resolve technical issues in an efficient, professional manner. They must be able to clearly communicate technical ideas to stakeholders who may have less technological knowledge, and they must be able to effectively manage conflict. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Industry Trends | In addition to cloud computing, the industry is seeing trends towards network security, data storage, Android and iPhone platforms, and mobile applications. Employers anticipate continued demand for these types of services. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Industry Trends | Employers note that it is common to outsource IT technician positions as well as positions that require specialized knowledge. However, several employers prefer a boost in local skill levels to keep these positions in Minnesota. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Industry Trends | Employers speak of the rapid, ongoing changes in technology and they acknowledge that it is difficult for academic curricula to keep up with industry developments. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Industry Trends | One of the most prominent industry trends is virtualization through the development of cloud computing infrastructures. Employers predict this will continue to increase. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Industry Trends | Android/IPhone platforms and mobile aps is another area of growth. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Needs & Challenges in Continuing Education | Employers are also having difficulty filling mid-level to senior-level leadership positions. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Needs & Challenges in Continuing Education | Many employers are having difficulty finding quality entry-level applicants in general and/or applicants for specific occupations, including engineers, technicians, and software and database development specialists. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Needs & Challenges in Continuing Education | Because it is becoming more expensive to send incumbent workers to vendor training, several respondents expressed interest in additional partnering with MnSCU for incumbent worker training. Employers are interested in specialty training that is tailored to their needs; this includes shorter trainings when possible. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Needs & Challenges in Continuing Education | Fewer employers say that they are either not hiring or have not had difficulty in filling openings. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Occupation-Specific Skills | A few employers are looking for knowledge of specific software and virtualization skills. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Occupation-Specific Skills | Employers seek candidates who possess database and data analytics skills as well as knowledge of quality-assurance testing programs and equipment. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Occupation-Specific Skills | Respondents who hire IT technicians seek candidates who understand interoperability; that is, an understanding of how various technologies work together. | Read what employers said about this issue |
| Information Technology (IT) | Occupation-Specific Skills | With rapid and ongoing changes in the field of technology, many employers are most interested in candidates that have broad technical knowledge. When candidates possess this knowledge, employers are able to provide on-the-job training in more specialized knowledge. | Read what employers said about this issue |
