[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 175 (Monday, September 10, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47016-47019]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-22633]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Technology Administration

[Docket No. 010626163-1163-01]


Notice, Request for Comments on Existing Public and Private High-
Tech Workforce Training Programs in the United States

AGENCY: Technology Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Request for comments on existing public and private high-tech 
workforce training programs in the United States for Congressionally-
mandated study and report to the Congress by the Secretary of Commerce.

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SUMMARY: On behalf of the Secretary of Commerce, the Technology 
Administration (TA) invites interested parties to comment on existing 
public and private high-tech workforce training programs in the United 
States. Sections 115(a) and 115(b) of the American Competitiveness in 
the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-313) require the 
Secretary of Commerce to conduct a study and issue a report on this 
subject. In connection with this study and report, this Federal 
Register notice is intended to solicit comments and reply comments from 
the public in paper or electronic form. All written comments submitted 
in response to this notice will be posted on the TA website 
(www.ta.doc.gov/ittraining), and may be used in a report to Congress.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments no later than 
November 9, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to Carol Ann Meares, Office 
Technology Policy, Technology Administration, Room 4823 HCHB, 1401 
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20230. Paper submissions should 
include an electronic copy of the comments on a diskette in ASCII, 
WordPerfect (please specify version) or Microsoft Word (please specify 
version) format. Diskettes should be labeled with the name and 
organizational affiliation of the filer, and the name and version of 
the word processing program used to create the document.
    In the alternative, comments may be submitted electronically to the 
following electronic mail address: [email protected]. Comments 
submitted as attachments to electronic mail should be submitted in one 
or more of the formats specified above.
    Another alternative method for providing comment is an Internet-
based form that can be completed and submitted online. The URL for this 
notice is www.ta.doc.gov/ittraining/form.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol Ann Meares, Office Technology 
Policy, telephone: (202) 482-0940; or electronic mail: 
[email protected]. Media inquiries should be directed to the Office of 
Public Affairs, Technology Administration, at (202) 482-8321.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The development and application of new information technologies 
across virtually every segment of the American economy has resulted in 
rapid, sustained growth in demand for highly skilled information 
technology (IT) workers. Accordingly, between 1983 and 1998, the number 
of high-skilled IT workers increased from 719,000 to 2,084,000--an 
increase of 190 percent, more than six times the overall U.S. job 
growth rate during this period.
    Rapid growth is expected to continue into the foreseeable future. 
The

[[Page 47017]]

Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) most recent ten-
year employment projections indicate that the number of core IT 
workers--computer scientists, computer programmers, computer engineers, 
systems analysts, computer support specialists, and database 
administrators--will rise from 2.2 million in 1998 to 3.9 million in 
2008. Another 300,000 will be needed to replace those leaving the field 
during this period. As a result, BLS projects more than 2 million new 
core IT workers will be needed during this ten-year period. In 
addition, the five fastest growing occupations in the U.S. economy 
during this period are all core IT occupations--database 
administrators, 77.2 percent; systems analysts, 93.6 percent; computer 
support specialists, 102.3 percent; computer engineers, 107.9 percent; 
and ``all other computer scientists,'' 117.5 percent. These growth 
rates compare to a projected increase of 14.4 percent for all 
occupations during this period.
    The jobs represented by these broad occupational classifications 
are varied, complex and specialized, as are the knowledge, skills and 
experience required to perform them. There is no single path to prepare 
a worker for a core IT occupation. Most get their education from four-
year colleges and universities. Other paths include two-year degree-
granting community colleges, special university/community programs 
designed to upgrade the skills of the current workforce, a growing 
number of private sector certification programs, in-house company 
training, short courses and self-study.
    BLS's Current Population Survey indicates that two-thirds of the 
current core IT workforce have four-year college degrees, a quarter 
have less than a bachelor's degree but more than a high school diploma, 
and the balance have a high school diploma or less. In addition to 
formal education, many IT workers hold one or more technical 
certifications. Of those with four-year college degrees, 46 percent 
have IT degrees, minors or second majors; 86 percent have a degree in a 
science or engineering discipline.
    This study and report will focus on the education and training 
paths and programs through which Americans prepare for these jobs and 
maintain the skills needed in an ever-changing information technology 
environment.
    The Office of Technology Policy, an agency of the Commerce 
Department's Technology Administration, has conducted research and 
produced reports on the Nation's challenge in meeting the high U.S. 
demand for skilled IT workers. These reports can be downloaded for 
review at: http://www.ta.doc.gov/reports.htm

II. Statutory Language Requiring a Study and Report to Congress

    The statutory language requiring the Secretary of Commerce to 
conduct a study and submit a report to Congress on existing public and 
private high-tech workforce training programs in the United States is 
found in Sections 115(a) and 115(b) of the American Competitiveness in 
the Twenty-First Century Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-313), and is set 
forth below:

    Sec. 115(a) STUDY--The Secretary of Commerce shall conduct a 
review of existing public and private high-tech workforce training 
programs in the United States.
    Sec. 115(b) REPORT--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit a 
report to Congress setting forth the findings of the study conducted 
under subsection (a).

III. Specific Questions

    The Department seeks comment on the following specific questions. 
Parties need not address all questions, but are encouraged to respond 
to those about which they have particular knowledge or information.

A. Questions for Employers

    Please provide some information about your company/organization to 
provide a context for your comments (e.g. type of business, georgraphic 
location, size of total workforce, size of IT workforce).
    1. What types of IT workers does your company/organization employ 
(.e.g. development, application, support; occupational/technical skill 
type; entry-level, mid-level, senior)?
    2. In making IT workforce-hiring decisions, what priority do you 
place on:

Graduate degrees?

--Four-year IT degree (e.g. computer science, computer engineering, 
management information systems)?
--Four-year technical degree (e.g. math, science, engineering)?
--Four-year business degree?
--Four-year liberal arts degree?
--Two-year associates degree?
--Technical Certification(s)? Which certifications does your company 
rely on?
--General technical experience?
--Experience with specific applications, operating systems, programming 
languages, hardware, etc.?
--Industry-specific Experience?

    3. What types of education/training programs (e.g. certification 
programs, private IT schools, short courses, seminars, community 
colleges, universities) provide newly hired IT workers with the skills 
needed?
    4. What types of education/training programs (e.g. certification 
programs, private IT schools, short courses, seminars, community 
colleges, universities) provide current employees with the skills 
needed to be successful in their jobs, career progression, and to adapt 
effectively to changing technology?
    5. Does your company/organization undertake efforts to keep the 
skills of your IT workforce current? What types of education/training 
programs (e.g. certification programs, private IT schools, short 
courses, in-house training, contract trainers, vendor training, 
seminars, community colleges, universities) does your company/
organization use to provide current IT employees with the skills they 
need? What are the strengths and weaknesses of these programs?
    6. What barriers inhibit investment in the education/training of 
current IT employees (e.g., cost, time from the job, fear of losing 
employee, uncertainty about future skill needs)?
    7. Is your company/organization engaged in any partnerships (with 
industry, government, academia, training providers, etc.) to develop IT 
workers? What are the strengths and weaknesses of these programs?
    8. What factors are considered in deciding whether to fill an IT 
position (or class of IT positions) by providing training and education 
to upgrade the knowledge and skills of current employee(s) 
(``making''), or by hiring employees who already have the skills from 
the open labor market (``buying'')? What are the characteristics (e.g., 
skill level, experience requirements, area of expertise) of IT position 
that your company/organization fills by making? By buying?
    9. How important are ``soft skills'' (e.g., oral and written 
communications skills, teamwork, problem solving) for an IT worker? 
Which ``soft skills'' are most important?
    10. How quickly do the IT skills needed by your company/
organization change? How are these changing IT skills requirements met? 
What impact do changing skills requirements have on your IT workforce?
    11. Are you aware of or been involved in any U.S. Department of 
Labor-sponsored or support IT workforce training programs in your area? 
Have you hired or considered for employment any employees trained 
through U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored or supported IT training 
workforce programs? If so, what is your assessment

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of the value of the training of these employees received? How well did 
the skills of the graduates of these programs meet your company's IT 
skill needs?
    12. Does your company/organization train non-IT employees for IT 
jobs in the company/organization? If so, what types of education and 
training programs are provided for this purpose?
    13. For IT managers: When announcing a job opening, do the 
education/skills/experience articulated by your company/organization as 
required for specific IT positions accurately reflect the education/
skills/experience required to be successful in the positions?
    14. For human resource officials: Do the education/skills/
experience articulated by your line managers as required for specific 
IT positions accurately reflect the education/skills/experience 
required to be successful in the positions?
    15. What types of credentials would substitute for technical job 
experience for entry-level jobs? For more advanced jobs?
    16. Does your company/organization, either directly or through 
another organization, provide information regarding your IT skills 
needs to local educational and training providers to help them tailor 
their curricula/instruction to your needs?
    17. Aside from the education/training investment in your current IT 
employees, what types of investments does your company/organization 
make in developing the U.S. IT workforce (e.g. financial contributions, 
scholarships, internships, work study, hardware/software donations, 
employee mentoring of students, adopt-a-school, other)?
    18. Of the IT education/training programs that you have experience 
with, which do you consider effective?

B. Questions for IT Workers

    1. What types of education and training programs (e.g. 
certification programs, private IT schools, short courses, seminars, 
community colleges, four-year colleges, graduate schools) provide the 
most immediately marketable skills for obtaining an IT job?
    2. What types of education and training programs provide the most 
valuable IT or other skills for success in the long run in the IT 
field? Career progression in IT? Ability to adapt to changing 
information technology?
    3. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the IT education/
training program(s) you attended in terms of their providing valuable 
knowledge and skills for the IT job market?
    4. What barriers do current/potential IT workers face in obtaining 
IT education and training (e.g., cost, availability, scheduling, 
meeting prerequisites)?
    5. In your experience, what types of programs provide the highest 
quality of IT education/training? Best value? Most effective?
    6. What barriers have you faced in obtaining IT jobs (e.g., lack of 
education, certification, experience, specificity of skill 
requirements)?
    7. Have your employers supported your efforts to obtain IT 
education/training/skills upgrading? If so, how (e.g., paid for 
training, provided training on-site, provided time away from work to 
attend classes)? What barriers did you face in getting your employer(s) 
support?
    8. How do you keep your skills up-to-date (programs, cost, time)?
    9. How important is formal training versus experience gained on the 
job?
    10. In your experience, do you believe that employers' stated 
requirements--in terms of education, skills, and experience--closely 
match the actual requirements of the jobs advertised?
    11. Are you aware of any U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored or 
supported IT workforce training programs in your area? Have you 
participated in any U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored or supported IT 
workforce training programs? If so, what is your assessment of the 
value of the training provided by these programs?

C. Questions for Education/Training Providers

    Please provide some information about your company/school/
institution to provide a context for your comments (e.g., contract 
trainer, private IT school, community college, college, university; 
number of students; type of IT programs offered; duration, cost, type 
of client served).
    1. In your IT education/training programs, is there any tension 
between providing fundamental knowledge and skills that are broadly 
applicable, and providing IT skills (perhaps proprietary) that will 
make your graduates immediately marketable? If so, how do you deal with 
the tension?
    2. Are you finding that students in your programs arrive with the 
fundamental skills to be successful in IT careers? What are the 
characteristics of students who are most likely to succeed in your 
programs? What are the most significant barriers your students face in 
completing your programs? What are the most significant barriers your 
students face in finding employment after completing your program?
    3. In an era of rapidly changing technology, how flexible is your 
institution in adapting its curricula to meet the changing technical 
skill needs of students and employers? Other changing needs of students 
and employers (e.g., soft skills, business skills, hands-on training, 
internships)? What are the barriers to adapting to these changing 
needs?
    4. Does your institution provide placement services for your 
graduates? What level of success do your students have in securing IT 
employment after receiving training/education from your institution? 
What barriers to securing IT employment do your graduates report?
    5. How do you develop connections between the program (what is 
taught) and employers' needs?

D. Questions for State/Local Government Agencies and Area/Regional 
Partnerships

    Please provide some information about your agency/partnership to 
provide a context for your comments (e.g. type of institution, when 
established, phase of development, scope of activities).
    1. Does your organization have a strategic plan for developing the 
IT workforce in your area or region? What are the elements of your 
plan?
    2. Who is involved in your plan (e.g. government agencies, 
companies, education/training providers, workforce investment boards)?
    3. Who do your programs target for training (entry level, career 
changers, disadvantaged groups, special communities, current IT 
workforce--both staying current (retooling) and getting ahead 
(upgrading))? What are the barriers to providing this training 
(aptitude, lack of knowledge/skill needed to participate in training, 
interest, lack of available workers, lack of time in students' lives, 
employer resistance)? How do you attract students/clients to your 
programs?
    4. Approximately how many people have received training through 
your programs (please include the timeframe)?
    5. Which institutions (governments agencies, IT companies, non-IT 
companies) are financially supporting this effort? Do employers 
participate in supporting this effort?
    Which IT training providers (e.g. contract trainers, private IT 
schools, community colleges, universities) participate in your effort?
    6. What types of training programs (certification, community 
college, 4-year colleges, graduate schools) do your students 
participate in under your programs?

[[Page 47019]]

    7. With respect to those you are training for IT jobs, besides the 
technical IT training what other kinds of education, training and 
employment-related services are available through your program?
    8. How successful have your programs been in placing students in IT 
jobs? What are the barriers your program participants face in getting 
IT jobs after completing their training?
    9. What feedback have you received from employers on the strengths 
and weaknesses of your programs?
    10. Does your state/jurisdiction offer incentives (tax, financial, 
other) to employer or employees for IT education and training? How 
effective have these incentives been?
    Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is 
required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to penalty for 
failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the 
Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.

    Dated: September 4, 2001.
Bruce Mehlman,
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Technology Policy.
[FR Doc. 01-22633 Filed 9-7-01; 8:45 am]
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