ITWF: Creating Pathways to IT Careers Through High School Career and Technical Education Programs

Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo MI

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT Information Technology Workforce (ITWF) - FY03 Proposal ID: EIA-0306092 Investigator: Paula Kohler and Edward Applegate Institution: Western Michigan University (a) Title: Creating Pathways to IT Careers through High School Career and Technical Education Programs Western Michigan University has received an ITWF award in support of its collaborative study, Creating Pathways to IT Careers. This research partnership between Western Michigan University (WMU), the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and a Research-to-Practice Team of business and practitioner stakeholders proposes to determine factors that influence enrollment, completion, and employment experiences of high school females in Career and Technical Education-Information Technology (CTE-IT) programs. Using population data collected by the Illinois State Board of Education regarding enrollment in secondary and postsecondary education and post-school employment, the project will investigate preparation for IT careers in the following areas: (a) counselor and teacher support strategies provided in high schools to recruit and retain students in CTE-IT programs; (b) student and school characteristics that influence CTE-IT program enrollment, school-directed work experience, and program completion; and (c) the influence of student and environmental characteristics and support strategies on post-secondary enrollment in IT education programs and employment. Data for nine school years, 1996 through 2004, will be analyzed through cross-sectional (year-by-year) analyses and over-lapping four-year longitudinal panels. Across all studies, experiences of females will be compared with those of males; experiences of students from various ethnicities and with disabilities will also be investigated. A Research-to-Practice (RTP) Team consisting of business and practitioner stakeholders will evaluate and interpret findings, develop dissemination strategies, and disseminate project results. Dissemination products will be designed to promote extensive use of practices that encourage successful recruitment, preparation, and inclusion of women and under-represented minorities in high-skill information technology jobs to enhance the lives and opportunities of these individuals and to help resolve the serious national shortage of workers in the IT field.