Mid-Pacific Information and Communications Technology Regional Center

City College Of San Francisco, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

The Mid-Pacific Information and Communications Technology Center (M-PICT) builds upon a previous project that educated technicians to work on optical and networks systems. Expanded and deeper collaborations with industry and global ICT providers enhance and improve educational efforts in 51 community colleges in Northern California to meet the growing needs for an ICT workforce by employers, equipment manufacturers and service providers in the region. Articulated and comprehensive ICT educational pathways are developed and implemented throughout the region. Successful practices in each college are identified, disseminated and implemented throughout the region to work toward a common set of ICT competencies, skills and educational approaches. A region-wide ICT Career Pathway - from high school to community college to four-year college - is developed and implemented. The outreach to the K-12 system emphasizes the standardization of terms and curriculum names to solve the problem of confusion among participants, particularly high school students and counselors. Strategies are developed to expand and diversify the region's ICT workforce.