The Three-Legged Stool to
Success
IBM’s P-TECH
Academy Establishes Path to “New Collar” Jobs.
The
Three-Legged Stool to Success: IBM’s P-TECH Academy Establishes Path to
“New Collar” Jobs.
IBM has
established a partnership in collaboration with school
districts, community colleges, and industry in order to prepare individuals for
technology jobs designed as “New Collar” jobs. According to IBM, New
Collar jobs are a combination of blue-collar and white-collar jobs aimed at
building mid-level skills for a new workforce. New Collar jobs require
skills with some level of college education, making them
higher level than blue-collar jobs but below white-collar jobs because they do
not require a four-year degree. IBM notes the new aspect of these jobs is
the embryonic nature and high-speed development of
technology. “Due to the evolving nature of technology, many of these IBM
jobs do not require a four-year degree, and will be filled by people with a
diverse range of backgrounds and qualifications. These “New Collar” jobs are in
some of the technology industry’s fastest growing fields, from cloud computing
and cybersecurity to digital design and data science.”
According to
the U.S. Department of Labor, there are more than half a million open jobs in
technology-related sectors in the United States. There are 28 million
middle skill jobs those that require an associate degree or some level of
technical training currently vacant in the U.S. IBM has set to resolve
the skills-gap in working with postsecondary and higher education to set a path
to employment in technology relates jobs. Specifically, IBM plans to hire
over 20,000 professionals in the next four years. They cannot accomplish
that goal unless they invest and train individuals for new collar jobs.
IBM
developed the Pathway in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) model as
an academic training partnership with more than 65 community colleges and universities.
The P-TECH model is designed to address the skills gap in America for grades
9-14 and address postsecondary degree completion, associate degree attainment
and career readiness. Students who complete P-TECH Academy, graduate with
both a high school diploma and an associate degree in computers or
engineering. IBM indicated that “The P-TECH model provides a pathway from
high school, to college, and the professional world.”
Students
need an education that makes real-world connections and training in specific
skills. Students need engaging experiences with the work world and a
classroom that can prepare them to transition into careers. The P-TECH model
consists of a partnership with a school district, college, and an employer - a
set-up with three major partners, like a three-legged stool, to support student
success and industry employment. The first P-TECH school opened six years
ago in Brooklyn. During those six years, the school achieved graduation
rates and successful job placement for almost all of its graduates.
Approximately 35 percent of its students graduated two years ahead of
schedule and by this summer, over 90 students from Chicago and Brooklyn, N.Y.
P-TECH programs will have graduated with both high school diplomas and
associate degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
What makes
this program so unique is that its foundation is based on adding equity and
opportunity for underserved communities. While, the P-TECH model works
for all students, it targets students who are underrepresented in college,
especially students who are from a minority group and first in their family to
attend college. The primary goal of the P-TECH is to help students earn a
college degree while training to successfully transition into the workplace with the skills
needed to be successful.
School
districts work closely with colleges and employers to align and develop the
relationship between school and work. The P-TECHs are connected with
community colleges to ensure that the associate degrees offered through the
partnerships are based on the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the
career pathway. At this time, IBM is planning for 100 P-TECH schools
across the country.
IBM is
clearly at the forefront of training this new kind of worker and is partnering
with Allegany College of Maryland, Northeast Iowa Community College, and Wake
Technical Community College in North Carolina. Allegany College, is
collaborating with IBM to enhance high-tech skills for training in cloud
computing and cybersecurity to be more readily available to the local
workforce. At Northeast Iowa Community College, IBM has set up a
five-week course for interns from the college to work as entry-level IBM
jobs. At Wake Technical Community College in North Carolina, IBM is
working with the college on cloud, data science, and cybersecurity
training. “We’re seeing that in a number of areas, in particular in jobs
in advanced manufacturing … what’s referred to as digital manufacturing require
higher level skills, particularly math and technology,” said Gary M. Green,
president of Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, North
Carolina.
The nation’s
community colleges play a vital role in the collaboration toward training the
next workforce and bridging the gap between employers and skilled workers.
Collaboration and partnerships with the business sector can help to ensure that
American workers and businesses remain competitive in the 21st century.
References
https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/ptech/index.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2016/12/13/we-need-fill-new-collar-jobs-employers-demand-ibms-rometty/95382248/
https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/blog/post/how-prepare-students-new-collar-jobs
www.ptech.org/
In Print:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/putting-america-work/201707/the-three-legged-stool-success
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