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Tampa Bay IT Workforce Analysis Page 0

Published: 10/11/2012

Tampa Bay Information Technology Workforce Analysis Hillsborough and Pinellas Findings

Tampa Bay IT Workforce Analysis – Hillsborough and Pinellas County

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Table of Contents

Project Objectives ......................................................................................................................................... 4

Economic Outlook ........................................................................................................................................ 4

Background Research ................................................................................................................................... 7

INTERVIEWS ............................................................................................................................................................... 9

SURVEYS .................................................................................................................................................................... 9

FOCUS GROUPS ........................................................................................................................................................ 10

Summary of Findings .................................................................................................................................. 11

Focus Area 1: Real World Training for High Demand Careers .................................................................. 13

CURRENT SKILLS GAP.............................................................................................................................................. 14

MINIMUM LEVELS OF EDUCATION REQUIRED FOR COMPETENCY ............................................................................ 16

SOFT SKILLS ............................................................................................................................................................ 16

TRAINING ................................................................................................................................................................. 16

ENTRY LEVEL SKILLS .............................................................................................................................................. 17

BUSINESS EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS ..................................................................................................................... 18

Focus Area 2: Streamlining Internship Opportunities for Tomorrow’s Workforce .................................... 19

Focus Area 3: Innovative Career Development, Recruitment and Retention Practices .............................. 21

RECRUITMENT: ........................................................................................................................................................ 21

EMPLOYMENT CULTURE .......................................................................................................................................... 21

MOBILE WORKERS ................................................................................................................................................... 21

SALARIES: ................................................................................................................................................................ 21

RECRUITMENT OF MILITARY VETERANS .................................................................................................................. 22

Focus Area 4: Regional Marketing and External Recruiting ...................................................................... 23

INNOVATION: ........................................................................................................................................................... 24

Focus Area 5: Implementation & Coordination .......................................................................................... 25

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT CAN BRIDGE THE GAP ................................................................................................ 27

TAMPA BAY IT WORKFORCE ANALYSIS TEAM ........................................................................................................ 27

FUNDING: ................................................................................................................................................................. 27

Appendix 1: Summary of Recommendations ............................................................................................. 28

Appendix 2: Gartner’s 2012 Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle............................................................. 32

Appendix 3: Information Technology Competency Model ........................................................................ 33


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Appendix 4 .................................................................................................................................................. 34

Appendix 5 -Focus Group Notes ................................................................................................................ 82

STUDENT FOCUS GROUP .......................................................................................................................................... 82

CEO/CIO IT FOCUS GROUP ..................................................................................................................................... 85

IT HR PROFESSIONALS ............................................................................................................................................ 87

Bibliography: .............................................................................................................................................. 90

List of Figures

Figure 1 - IT Workforce Leadership Team ................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2 - Employment Projections .............................................................................................................. 4 Figure 3 - National Unemployment Rate for IT occupations ....................................................................... 5 Figure 4 - Computer & Information Science Degrees Conferred ................................................................. 6 Figure 5 - National studies related to IT workforce needs ............................................................................ 7 Figure 6 - Regional and state studies referencing workforce development .................................................. 7 Figure 7 - STEM Job Growth ....................................................................................................................... 8 Figure 8 – Companies/Institutions Interviewed ............................................................................................ 9 Figure 9 - Industries Represented ................................................................................................................. 9 Figure 10- Focus Group Participants .......................................................................................................... 11 Figure 11 - Minimum Education ................................................................................................................. 16 Figure 12 - Important skills for new hires arranged by most frequency cited ............................................ 17 Figure 13 - Salaries by Occupation ............................................................................................................. 21 Figure 14 -Tampa Bay Innovation Resources ............................................................................................. 24 Figure 15: Grow Tampa Bay Tech Leadership ........................................................................................... 25


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Figure 1 - IT Workforce Leadership Team

Introduction The region’s leading economic development organizations received anecdotal evidence that local employers were facing challenges trying to hire employees for Information Technology (IT) occupations. A quick review of national news sources indicated that this was a common problem throughout the country. To investigate further, Tampa Bay area organizations joined together to produce the Tampa Bay IT Workforce Analysis, to assess the extent of the challenges and to develop solutions to increase the IT talent pool. In the course of conducting the study’s survey, interviews and focus groups, it became clear that there is indeed a gap between the demand and the supply of specific IT professions in the local market. On the supply side, the area has an abundance of learning opportunities for both new and lifelong learners. The Hillsborough and Pinellas counties are located in the Tampa Bay region1, and home to numerous businesses that house back offices of skilled IT professionals as well high tech IT service firms needing to staff positions with skilled IT talent. The challenge became finding a way to link specific employer needs to specific educational training and recruitment solutions.

Fairfield Index, Inc. found that national and international workforce agencies recognized the increasingly “loud call” to compete through tighter alignment of talent and employer demands while taking an integrated approach to economic development.2 Over the next 20 years companies will locate where they have access to top-quality talent. This creates an environment that requires evolutionary strategies in which today’s investment builds an ever-increasing, constantly adapting future talent supply chain.

A taskforce was organized by the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation with the recognition that while this was a national issue, the solutions must be regional. The taskforce included regional economic development organizations, workforce agencies and industry associations (See Figure 1). The Tampa Bay Workforce Alliance provided the critical resources to support the project, funding two professional staff positions.

Based on research conducted in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and represented in this document, the IT Workforce Task Force has released a set of recommendations designed to effectively and efficiently impact the existing workforce gap within these two communities. The study also included interviews with and surveys of companies in the six surrounding counties that make up the greater Tampa Bay region; this research is ongoing and findings will be released under a separate report.

1 The Tampa Bay region includes the counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Sarasota and Manatee. 2 Florida’s Demand-Driven Talent Supply Chain System: National and International Assessment, Farifield Index, Inc. prepared for Workforce Florida, Inc. February 29, 2012, page 4.


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The recommendations in this report strengthen the relationships between business, education, and the talent pool.

Project Objectives This project was launched to identify and quantify any gap between industry demands and the existing talent supply; and then, based on interviews and focus groups, create actionable steps to close these gaps. The ultimate goal is to create a pipeline of IT talent for Tampa Bay area companies.

The project included extensive conversations with businesses, education, workforce and economic development leaders. This report is a reflection of a wide range of input, perspectives and proposed solutions. It is intended to initiate activities that will close the workforce gap by increasing the efficiency of the IT talent supply chain.

Economic Outlook According to an economic impact analysis conducted by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity using IMPLAN economic modeling software, each new IT job also creates 1.58 indirect jobs in the Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. The two-county area is estimated to receive nearly $16 billion in GDP from IT.3 In addition, IT job growth is expected to outpace total occupation job growth for the period from 2011 through 2019, adding over 4,000 new jobs during that period (See Figure 2). Due to quality concerns and the increased importance of collaboration, jobs that had previously been moved offshore are now returning to the United States.

Hillsborough and Pinellas counties have a slightly higher concentration of IT workers than the national concentration, and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) has the highest concentration of IT workers of Florida’s major metropolitan areas (See Location Quotient in Appendix 4, page 81).

Figure 2 - Employment Projections

Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Employment Projections 2011-2019

There have been recent changes in the way that IT talent chooses to locate, which add to the complexity of understanding IT workforce patterns.

3 MIG, Inc., IMPLAN System. (2012, July 2011). IT Economic Impact Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties. Hudson, WI.

Hillsborough-Pinellas Counties Employment PercentSOC Code Occupation Title 2011 2019 Change

11.3021 Computer and Information Systems Managers 1,519 1,717 13.0%15.1021 Computer Programmers 3,761 3,646 -3.1%15.1031 Computer Software Engineers, Applications 3,932 4,783 21.6%15.1032 Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software 1,946 2,343 20.4%15.1041 Computer Support Specialists 4,370 4,868 11.4%15.1051 Computer Systems Analysts 5,098 5,857 14.9%15.1061 Database Administrators 1,103 1,306 18.4%15.1071 Network and Computer Systems Administrators 2,180 2,526 15.9%15.1081 Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts 3,091 4,214 36.3%15.1099 Computer Specialists, All Other 792 937 18.3%

Total IT Occupations 27,792 32,197 15.8%Total All Occupations 1,081,661 1,228,720 13.6%


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• It is the nature of the IT industry to have occasional layoffs between projects. Because of this, skilled IT workers choose to live where there is a concentration of IT workers and companies, because it is easier for them to find a new job if they are laid off.

• Because IT is rapidly changing and there is a shortage of talent nationally, many IT workers have elected to become free agents and work as independent contractors, moving as feasible to increasingly higher paid positions or contracts.

• Many IT employers are allowing top talent to work from home, potentially increasing the ease of job mobility of these top employees who are no longer tied to a physical location. This development could ease the path for recruitment of these employees and drive higher salaries.

• The lower costs of airline fares combined with increasing IT wages are resulting in some IT workers commuting from a home city to another city during the week to earn greater wages.

From an occupational perspective, IT unemployment rates are among the lowest in the country, leading to an increase in salaries and a greater prerogative on the part of prospective workers to determine where and for whom they will work (See Figure 3).

Figure 3 - National Unemployment Rate for IT occupations

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Q2 2012

The unemployment rates for specific occupations are only calculated on a national level. The numbers presented in Figure 3 are from the second quarter of 2012. For the purpose of perspective, the total unemployment rate for all job categories in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA was 9.0% as of June 2012, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Occupations Employed Unemployed Unemployment Rate

Computer and mathematical occupations 3,760,000 140,000 3.6

Computer systems analysts 505,000 15,000 2.9

Computer programmers 469,000 18,000 3.7

Software developers, applications and systems software 1,036,000 26,000 2.5

Web developers 178,000 6,000 3.0

Computer support specialists 487,000 43,000 8.2

Database administrators 89,000 5,000 5.7

Network and computer systemsadministrators 229,000 11,000 4.7

Computer network architects 152,000 1,000 0.8

Computer occupations, all other 338,000 13,000 3.6


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There are resources in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties to train workers. Hillsborough Community College had the largest technology enrollment in the area in fall of 2011 with 1,677 students, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 2012 Book of Lists. St. Petersburg College had the second highest technology enrollment with 1,262 students enrolled. (See Appendix 4, 8 for complete details) Both of these colleges, as well as Saint Leo University, also train significant numbers of returning military personnel to enter the IT workforce.

The University of South Florida and the University of Tampa also confer bachelor’s and master’s technology degrees. Their students are eagerly recruited by local IT employers.

There were 398 Computer and Information Science degrees conferred in 2009 in the Tampa Bay Region. Many of these students were recruited by local companies, some of which have relationships with local educational institutions and are active in providing business case studies to the students. These relationships were limited to mostly larger companies; our research showed that small to midsize companies lack the resources to establish and maintain these relationships. It is important to note that some companies have found the Computer and Information Science degree workforce to be extremely mobile within the state. Accordingly, they have developed relationships with universities in other areas of the state to increase their recruitment pools.

Sources: Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2009 and State of Florida Board of Governors *Tampa Bay Region is defined as the counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Sarasota and Manatee

Along with technical programs, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties’ training providers offer a variety of technical certifications. For a complete list of certifications offered, see Appendix 4, Page 80. Training programs were used primarily by employers to help keep their employees’ skill sets up to date. However, it should be noted that when making a hiring decision, experience was valued over certifications.

Tampa Bay Region State of Florida

Total Degrees 398 3,515

Associate’s Degrees 118 1,036

Bachelor’s Degrees 280 2,005

Master’s Degrees N/A 424

Figure 4 - Computer & Information Science Degrees Conferred


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Background Research Across the United States, communities have faced similar IT talent supply situations, and comparable studies were conducted to evaluate the workforce gap and create a local strategy.

Throughout the development of our analysis, Columbus, Ohio’s “The Skills Gap in Central Ohio IT Talent” was used as a guide. Contributors4 to Central Ohio’s analysis also provided valuable insights and feedback to Tampa Bay’s IT Workforce Analysis.

Regionally, economic development organizations and workforce boards had begun to explore IT hiring challenges. Each effort created a series of recommendations that are consistent with the recommendations in this report.

The recommendations of the regional plans included policy changes, as well as short and long term activities to develop the talent pool (See Figures 5 and 6).

WorkNet Pinellas has been monitoring the issue since 2007 through the publication of the Business and Educational Summit Strategic Report Card.5

The Tampa Bay Partnership has published a Regional Business Plan for Economic Development6 to build understanding of regional economic strengths and opportunities and to craft a plan that will lead to job creation and a greater economic resiliency through diversification. The plan specifically speaks to larger workforce issues with specific initiatives:

• Initiative #14: Expand partnerships and improve communication between industry and the workforce development system

• Initiative #15: Increase coordination, collaboration, and information sharing among the regions’ post-secondary institutions

4 Maureen Metcalf, Maureen Metcalf and Associates, Tim Hayes, TechColumbus, and Bill Lafayette, Regionomics. 5 Report Card, WorkNet Pinellas, Business and Education Summit, September 2011 6 A Regional Business Plan for Economic Development in the Tampa Bay Region, Executive Summary, May 2011

Figure 5 - National studies related to IT workforce needs

Figure 6 - Regional and state studies referencing workforce development

•2004•Reaching the Next Level: A Regional Economic Development

Strategic Plan for the Charleston Region Charleston, SC

•2005• Iowa’s Information Technology Strategic Road Map Iowa

• 2007• Northeast Ohio Information Technology Workforce Report Northeast Ohio

• 2011• Arizona’s Technology Workforce: Issues, Opportunities and

Competitive Pressures Arizona

• 2011• The Skills Gap in Central Ohio IT Talent: Assessment,

Opportunity and Recommendations Columbus, Ohio

•Taking the Next Steps: Business and Educational Summit Strategic Score CardWorkNet Pinellas

•Five-Year Strategic Plan: STEM Leadership for FloridaSTEMflorida

• 2012 Vision & Strategies, Florida Workforce System Workforce Florida Inc.

•Closing the Talent Gap: A Business Perspective, What Florida Needs from the Talent Supply ChainFlorida Council of 100

•Regional Business Plan for Economic Development in the Tampa Bay RegionTampa Bay Partnership

•Roadmap to Florida’s Future: 2010-2015 Strategic Plan for Economic Development Enterprise Florida Inc.

•Framework for 21st Century LearningPartnership for 21st Century Skills


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Enterprise Florida has published reports7 that present statewide initiatives to create innovation driven growth, furthering of STEM education, and efforts that “converge around the shared vision of establishing Florida as a leader in the global innovation economy.”

STEM Florida policies focus on increasing the STEM8 courses in K-12. If successfully implemented, STEM efforts will sustain the near term recommendations outlined in this report. STEM jobs are projected to increase, requiring technical skills and a demand for continuous learning.

Figure 7 - STEM Job Growth

Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Labor Market Statistics Center, Forecast to 2019, released October 2011 Elementary and secondary students are introduced to and offered opportunities to engage in STEM careers through curriculum focused on defined career pathways through Career and Technical Education Centers and Centers of Excellence in the Tampa Bay area. The benefits realized by students directly relate to the expectations of business leaders that participated in the IT Workforce Analysis.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) can benefit students directly by providing earning advantages before and after graduation. It can benefit them indirectly by increasing engagement, retention, and persistence and by directing them to postsecondary education and pursuit of lifelong learning. CTE programs motivate students to get involved in their learning by engaging them in problem-solving activities that construct knowledge; by providing hands-on activities that enable them to apply CTE knowledge; bringing students and adults together in a setting of collaborative learning; and offering opportunities for students to interact with community members, potential employers, teachers and other students who share similar career/vocational interests.9

7 Roadmap to Florida’s Future, 2012-2015 Strategic Plan for Economic Development, Roadmap to Florida’s Future, Page 4. See Bibliography. 8 STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) http://www.stemflorida.net/ 9 The Benefits of Career and Technical Education. Trends and Issues Alert. Author: Brown, Bettina

1.56%

1.62%

2.16%

Non-STEM

Total, STEM and Non-STEM

STEM

Florida Annual Job Growth Rates 2011-2019

http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/simpleSearch.jsp;jsessionid=7CV03xgtHbDlKHZc8W+PKg__.ericsrv002?_pageLabel=ERICSearchResult&_urlType=action&newSearch=true&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=au&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=%22Brown+Bettina+Lankard%22


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The analysis was completed by professional staff under the direction of the IT Workforce Analysis Taskforce. The the study was modeled after the Columbus Ohio study, changing the stratification by size of companies surveyed to include small, medium and large companies. The number of focus groups was expanded.

Interviews The analysis began with over 60 interviews with employers and educators to understand which IT skills and job functions are important to Tampa Bay employers and map relationships with educational programs. The companies selected were based on size and type of business. The interviews were confidential seeking input on the questions to ask on the survey, clarify trends, discover new issues and caoncerns, and to socialize solutions. The relationship between education and business demonstrated a deep respect for each other, but a need to clarify opportunities to change the current trend. Some of the groups interviewed are listed below:

Figure 8 – Companies/Institutions Interviewed

Surveys The surveys were developed based on the interviews with businesses. The job functions and skills that companies and institutions reported as being difficult to fill were included in the survey. The questions and job functions included were vetted10 for ordering and wording by several business persons, educators, and researchers. Individual questions were strategically examined for thoroughness and content, such as how far into the future the survey should ask for job function growth. Many of the survey methods used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics were incorporated into the questions.

The survey was distributed through targeted emails sent directly to over 140 employers of IT workers in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Survey partners

10 Guy Hagen, Tucker Hall, Bill Dobson, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Michael Pearce, University of South Florida, Kristin Dailey, Ph.D, WorkNet Pinellas, Courtney Manning, Fairfield Index, Bill Lafayette, Regionomics.

Figure 9 - Industries Represented

Industry Representation Response Percent

Technical Services (Computer Systems Design Services, Custom Computer Programming Services, Other Computer Related Services)

57%

Health Care 13%

Finance and Insurance 10%

Educational Services 7%

Public Administration (Government) 6%

Transportation and Warehousing 4%

Manufacturing 3%


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staff also emailed surveys to IT clients and reached a wider audience through bulk email newsletters. There was a website dedicated to the survey that explained the analysis and provided a link to the survey (http://www.tampabayitworkforcesurvey.org).

The goal was to survey 50 companies representing 20% of the IT workforce. However, surveys were completed by 64 area companies representing 26% (or 7,261 employees) of the IT workforce in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. The survey development process sought to include a variety of industries with IT services or back office operations, as well as a stratified response set based on company size and county.

The distribution of IT workers in our job skills question was an equivalent to the BLS’s IT distribution between Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Hillsborough County represented 63% and Pinellas County represented 37% of the IT worker distribution in our job skills sample and according to the BLS’s total IT worker count. Several large companies responded to the survey but due to company policy were unable to respond to the number of IT workers by county. Using other published sources, we estimated these companies had an additional 2,000 jobs, or a total workforce represented in the survey of 7,261 or 26.1%.

Focus Groups

Focus groups were held to confirm and clarify the survey responses – Students, HR/Hiring Managers, CEO/CIO, and Education. Solutions were refined based on input from the participants. The sessions were closed, and all individual comments were held in confidence and are reported without direct attribution. Many of the focus group participants completed the survey. Some of the focus group participants were part of the 60 interviews conducted. The comments and ideas expressed have been incorporated into the recommendations.

County BLS IT

Workforce

BLS IT Workforce

by Percentages

Skill Question

Respondents

Skills Question

Respondents by

Percentages

All Questions

Respondents

All Questions

Respondents by

Percentages

Hillsborough 17,448 62.8% 2,302 62.3% 5,306 73.1%

Pinellas 10,344 37.2% 1,395 37.7% 1,955 26.9%

Total 27,792 100% 3,697 100% 7,261 100%

RESPONSES BY COMPANY SIZE* Small (1- 100) = 29 (45%)

Medium (101 -500) = 16 (25%) Large (over 500) = 19 (30%)

Total = 64 *Total number of employees

Figure 9 A


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Summary of Findings The following section is a summary of the findings resulting from the interviews, surveys, and focus groups that took place between June and August 2012. The data analysis and the accompanying recommendations are organized by five focus areas:

1. Real-world training for high demand jobs 2. Streamlining internships for tomorrow’s workforce 3. Innovative career development, recruitment, and retention practices 4. Regional marketing and external recruiting 5. Implementation and coordination

Our analysis found overall that the IT labor demand will continue to expand, and that there are specific high demand skills unmet in this region. We also know that the landscape will continue to change as new technologies are introduced and new markets open to area businesses. Summary of the study findings:

• Immediate and profound gaps exist for specific skills: agile development concepts, Java programmers, .NET programmers, cloud computing engineers, sales engineers, ERP11 , security, and SharePoint.

• Employers cited the need for liberal arts education that is associated with a four year degree and that credential trumped the type of degree for some jobs, particularly for programmers. Dual majors/ minors that are marketable to employers allow students, “…to pursue a passion yet get a job upon graduation.” Students graduating with technical skills and experience are the most desired by employers.

11 Enterprise resource planning- the management of all the information and resources involved in a company’s operations by means of an integrated computer system http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/ERP?q=erp

Students

•University of South Florida •University of Tampa •Hillsborough Community College

HR/Hiring Managers

•SAIC •Edge Datagistics •SharePoint Resources •New Horizons •Rita Technologies •Chase PaymentTech •DTCC •Community Solutions of America

CEO/CIO

•Absolute Mobile Solutions •Panther International, LLC •Tribridge •Transitions Optical •Haneke Design •CSDRS, LLC •WellCare •University of South Florida

Education

•University of South Florida •University of Tampa •Hillsborough Community College •St. Petersburg College

Figure 10- Focus Group Participants


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• Large companies were satisfied with the graduate population and had positive relationships with area

colleges for both interns and fulltime employees, but feel strongly that the study recommendations are needed to secure the future talent supply for both replacement of existing workers.

• Future growth areas reported as priorities include business analytics, Big Data, desktop support, computer and software engineers, and security.

• Many companies reported having difficulty finding IT professionals with 3- 5 years of experience working in an enterprise environment with the ability to be productive from the first day.

• Businesses are requiring employees to do more, have multiple skills, and engage in lifelong learning.

• Small to mid-size companies that did not have formal new hire training programs reported challenges finding entry level candidates with the necessary technical knowledge.

• Businesses are interested in recruiting military veterans for careers in technology.

• Students need to have more real world technical skills when entering the job market.

• Students have limited knowledge of the local technology job market.

• Participating businesses, educational institutions and students are all willing and interested in working together.

• Companies were interviewed and surveys in the six surrounding counties that make up the greater Tampa Bay region; this research is ongoing and findings will be released under separate report.


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Focus Area 1: Real World Training for High Demand Careers Employers reported a need to fill positions requiring specific technical skills. Students reported the desire to practice the technical skills they learn and to have access to the most current and beta versions of new technologies. Small and mid-size employers reported the need for graduates to have more technical skills.

Technology is changing rapidly, and employers are seeking workers with multiple skill sets. There have been changes in required skills and position profiles as a result of the increased efficiency in operations, specifically:

• Virtualization – downsizing of infrastructure

• Cloud Services – outsourcing of services

• Collaborative software – management moves to SME from IT

• Mobile – work anywhere; information everywhere

These changes created a new paradigm focusing on rapidly changing skills that are not yet institutionalized in the training and education fields. Job functions are becoming more streamlined, creating one job where two had previously existed. See the recent position description posted on Dice (Figure 10a).

The following comment from an area business owner provides an actual example of the issues.

“Startup and emerging companies need folks that can roll up all of these skills into smaller teams. As the cost to buy or subscribe to applications become lower and lower you cannot afford to hire a Java Developer, a Database administrator, a database developer, a system administrator, a web developer, a user interface developer, a Windows developer, a PHP developer, an HTML developer, a system architect, and a client server developer. Organizations will continue to move toward more nimble and cost effective solutions as technologies evolve. They are shifting away from keeping multiple in house IT folks that can only program in one language and they will stop buying $1M solutions that can become outdated quickly and require costly maintenance or forced upgrades.” Jana Wiggins, Owner, DocuVantage www.docuvantage.com

The Gartner Hype cycle is an industry standard for identifying the next generation technology and is a guidepost for determining what to include in future curriculum and training programs Education and business should be tracking the trends and begin to plan for training students and professionals. The Gartner Hype Cycle, appearing in Appendix 2, provides a graphical view of the maturity, adoption and business application of specific technologies that are heading to market. 12 12 Gartner Hype Cycle Methodology, http://www.gartner.com/technology/research/methodologies/hype-cycle.jsp

Figure 10a

Position: Senior SharePoint Developer/Architect Seeking skilled Microsoft SharePoint Architects proficient in SharePoint infrastructure planning, Configuration and Development and Customization. Successful candidates must be skilled in architecting SharePoint applications using customization and configuration techniques Experience in developing business solutions based on ADO.NET and ASP.NET. Practical use of the Unified Modeling Language (UML), Design Patterns, and other architectural principals

http://www.docuvantage.com/

http://www.gartner.com/technology/research/methodologies/hype-cycle.jsp


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The Competency Model provides a framework for creating the bridge to defining the skills, or competencies, that are identified as most commonly contributing to success in workplace. 13 A competitive business will adapt to changing technologies. Workers must demonstrate that they can adopt new skills and become lifelong learners. Students must have a plan or pathway to learn and master the necessary skills to be competitive and valued by the employer. As stated in a recent report: Technical Assistance Guide for Developing and Using Competency Models,

“Competency models are a resource for both the business and jobseeker customer. They provide a framework for business and industry to clearly articulate their workforce needs. In addition, they demonstrate the commonality of the broad knowledge and skills needed in an industry that form the foundation for the development of career ladders or lattices. Competency models also constitute the basis on which curriculum developers and training providers ensure that workers have the right skills. They articulate the essential competencies required for occupational licenses and certifications, the credentials that ensure that a worker has the necessary skills to be successful at work.”14

The competency models can be used to:

1. Communicate industry needs 2. Direct career exploration and guidance 3. Develop career paths and ladders 4. Plan workforce programs 5. Evaluate, plan and develop curriculum 6. Provide human resource services to businesses 7. Develop assessments, certifications, and licenses 8. Develop industry models and registered apprenticeships

The model addresses foundational competencies, as well as industry and occupational competencies. There are 20 different industry models including three that are relevant to the implementation of the IT Workforce Gap solutions: Information Technology, Advanced Manufacturing and Entrepreneurship (See Appendix 3).

Current Skills Gap The survey provided a list of 53 technical skills and asked respondents to identify the number of positions that were filled or vacant, and positions that they planned to fill over the next 24 months. The survey also asked for the length of time it was taking to fill vacant positions requiring the identified skills and the number of positions that remained unfilled from between 60 – 90 days. See Appendix 4, page 38 for the detailed list of positions15.

Agile development was the skill in highest demand, and employers anticipate it to be the highest growth skill over the next 24 months. It is a skill and way of development, rather than a specific job function.

13 Source: Technical Assistance Guide for Developing and Using Competency Models – One Solution for the Workforce Development System, January 2012, developed by Personnel Decisions Research Institutes, Inc. (PDRI) in 2005 and has been updated by JBS International, Inc., Aguirre Division in 2012. 14 Ibid., page 3 15 The numbers are extrapolated to represent the entire population. 3,697 IT workers were accounted for in our sample size. The number of vacancies and expected growth were then multiplied by 7.517 to adjust the sample to fit the entire population of IT workers, which is 27,792. See Appendix 4, Page 2 for further explanation


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Companies are moving away from the SDLC16 or waterfall method of development and towards the agile method, because of its speed and flexibility. The agile development skill is not valuable by itself. It must be combined with other job functions, such as .NET programming or mobile application development. Prospective employees are of great value to employers if they understand this method and are able to apply it to a specific job function.

Java programmers, mobile application developers, and application architects were the job functions in highest demand. All of these job functions appear on national lists as areas where companies face hiring challenges, but local companies seem to have a specific, immediate need for these job functions. It is important to note that some of these job functions can be outsourced, but as collaboration and communication becomes increasingly important, local employers would prefer to have employees located in the Tampa Bay region. Employers are also able to better monitor their employees’ work by having them onsite.

.NET programmers and business analysts were the next job functions in high demand. .NET programmers seem to also be in demand nationally, similar to Java programmers. Business analysts are of emerging importance, as many management decisions are becoming more math-and analytic-based. Companies chose business analyst to be the third most in demand job function over the next 24 months, followed by .NET programmer.

Desktop support personnel and IT project managers had high expected growth potential over the next 24 months; however, employers reported that they had minimal difficulty hiring for these positions. Desktop support personnel seem to be trained quickly and inexpensively. It was reported in some of the interviews that there are many Project Management Professionals (PMP) in Tampa Bay, possibly a reason that employers reported minimal difficulty in hiring IT project managers. Companies also

reported minimal difficulty hiring Windows administrators and software quality assurance personnel.

Security professional and SharePoint Administrator and Developer positions were reported as difficult to fill during the focus groups and interviews. Cyber security is a rapidly expanding field as businesses move to the cloud, increasing the risk of data being compromised or lost due to natural disasters, terrorist attacks or human error. The SharePoint collaboration platform allows people to work together from any location and provides the essential reporting and analysis capabilities.

Through surveys, focus groups and interviews, businesses reported having the greatest challenges filling positions requiring 3 – 5 years experience, especially Developer, Architect, and Network Engineer 16 SDLC – Software Development Liife Cycle or System Development Life Cycle

Skill or Job Function Skill sets andVacant Positions

24-MonthGrowth

Agile Development 385 789Java Programmer 235 319

Mobile Applications Development 235 338

Application Architecture 195 346

.NET Programmer 195 410

Business Analytics/Data Mining 169 449

ERP Implementation 124 372

IT Project Manager 124 346

Data Warehousing 124 201

Total High Demand Skills 1,787 3,571

Total All Skills 3,684 8,192

Figure 11: High Demand Skills


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positions. These positions require a greater level of training, maturity, industry knowledge, and experience in an enterprise setting, accompanied with soft skills to be productive from day one. These jobs are being filled by recruiting talent from outside the area or hiring contractors, otherwise the positions are left vacant.

Minimum Levels of Education Required for Competency When considering responses for all job functions, the minimum level of education was overwhelmingly found to be a bachelor’s degree. Employers are expanding their criteria to include nontraditional IT degrees such as music and psychology. Music majors bring the ability to perceive patterns and structures and to consider historical perspectives which are compatible with programming skills. Psychology graduates are also highly numerate. They are trained to interpret data summaries and to understand probability statements, and they become familiar with a wide range of statistical procedures and processes. Psychology graduates are highly literate and familiarized with the techniques of concise writing within a pre-set format as they write practical research reports - a natural fit for business analytics.

While some businesses stated they would hire a person that demonstrated talent without a degree, the bachelor’s degree was important for advancement within a company according to a majority of businesses participating in the study.

Soft Skills Each company assesses candidates for a different mix of skills and experience based on its corporate culture. It is no longer enough to be a technical expert, delivering work in an isolated setting. The most important soft skills reported by survey respondents include problem solving, analysis skills, critical thinking, decision making and collaboration.

Training Due to the pace of technological advancement, the need for training is a constant. Many companies will provide internal training; however, IT professionals are expected to take advantage of the variety of external options to develop a self-directed pathway to sharpen technical skills.

Employers reported a willingness to consider a person seeking employment who has demonstrated that they have upgraded their skills continuously. Several companies suggested that they would be less

96% of businesses provide continued training 83% reported using external sources

76% provide training to new hires

Figure 11 - Minimum Education

Less than a high school diploma

1%

High school diploma

15%

Associate's degree

15%

Bachelor's of science

51%

Bachelor's of arts15%

Master's degree3%


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likely to consider a job seeker who just learned a new technology after many years of working with a legacy technology, and does not have a history of continuous learning.

There is a known bias by some human resource professionals and hiring managers against hiring the unemployed. The longer the person is unemployed, the lower the employability score a candidate received, according to a research study by Geoffrey C. Ho, Margaret Shih and Daniel J. Walters, from the University of California.17 They found the length of time out of work was a main factor impacting hiring decisions.

According to our interviews, corporations have trimmed their training budgets. They have moved technical training in-house -- changing priorities to internal coaching and mentoring, informal learning and collaborative activities. They only outsource those training tasks requiring a significant training investment. While over 83% of our survey respondents reported that their staff obtained training from external training sources, studies indicate an increase in self funded training. The small to midsize companies have seen the greatest impact in the decline of training budgets.

Entry Level Skills Businesses reported that entry level talent was not proficient in applying technical skills and required additional training before they could begin to be productive. Large and some midsize companies have formal training programs; small companies are seeking new hires with higher level technical skills.

Students requested experiential learning opportunities to gain insight into technologies taught in the classroom and to explore newer technologies that are not in the classroom. Community challenges, such as the Mayor’s Hack-A-Thon sponsored by the City of Tampa,18 can provide opportunities to practice skills by moving learning into areas in which many college students are comfortable. Students stated that they learned through challenges and hoped to be able to network with businesses.

Students reported that they did not want to learn legacy technology because it leads to maintenance jobs, and they prefer seeking new horizons and being challenged with new technologies.

17 Geoffrey C. Ho, Margaret Shih and Daniel J. Walters, “The Psychological Stigma of Unemployment,” 2012 18 Mayor’s Hack-a-thon, 2012, to create apps that make Tampa better in one 48-hour marathon session.http://www.tampagov.net/information_resources/HACKATHON/ideas.asp

Figure 12 - Important skills for new hires arranged by most frequency cited

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%


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Business Education Partnerships

Through out the interviews and focus group discussions it was clear the both education leaders and business leaders are willing to work together to increase the competencies of the workforce – both matriculating and skilled workers. Businesses have offered to work with educations to provide:

• Business use cases for use in the classroom, for capstone projects, and for challenges • Increased structured internships opportunities • Mentor students with capstone project • Engage with student groups such as the TBTF student chapters, and other student

associations • Curriculum design that will incorporate the skills, or competencies, that are identified as

most commonly contributing to success in workplace


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Focus Area 2: Streamlining Internship Opportunities for Tomorrow’s Workforce

New hires need to have more real world experiences with technologies, knowledge of enterprise systems, possess the right mix of academic and workplace competencies, and be proficient in multiple areas. Students are requesting more internship opportunities to build a portfolio for graduation. Small to midsize businesses are willing to offer internships but do not have the structure to recruit, develop and manage internship programs.

Changing technology and turbulent economic conditions require businesses to balance the recruitment of a new hire with the demands of the job and the ability to stay competitive. Students must acquire more technical skills than those learned in the classroom. They must be able to demonstrate real world application of skills to future employers. Activities to gain the skill set include:

• An internship to increase a student’s technical knowledge, while also reinforcing soft skills, project management and critical thinking skills19.

• A capstone project based on real world business cases demonstrates project management skills necessary in the fast paced world. Business involvement can introduce students to future employers.

• Memberships in professional organizations provide networking opportunities that will develop students’ soft skills and connect them to businesses for internships and future job opportunities.

Businesses were overwhelmingly interested in having an intern; however, 69% of the businesses responding did not have a recruiting relationship with any college. Companies must approach each college in the area and post an internship opportunity using different interfaces. The process for posting an opportunity could be different at each school or even departments within the school. Most companies reported not having the staff to manage internships, which created a barrier. The option of developing an internship program was positively received in the CIO/CEO focus group. The HR/Hiring Manager focus group suggested a need for training regarding best practices and sample guidelines for establishing a successful internship program.

Students can acquire both technical and soft skills through classroom instruction; however, they must also be able to practice classroom learned skills in real world situations. Engaging in capstone projects, internships, and memberships in professional organizations will prepare a student for the world of work.

The technical and soft skills that students bring to the internship experience vary, resulting in management challenges for the businesses. Throughout the course of this study, businesses were complimentary of the quality of education in the Tampa Bay area. 19 (Grant, Malloy, Murphy, Foremen, & Robinson, 2010)

65% of businesses offer internships 91% of interns are paid

Student Focus Group... “I want an opportunity to practice on the real thing.”

“I don’t have to be paid or get credit; I just want to win and

be seen by the companies. They can hire me.”


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Several area colleges are offering online credit and non-credit technical training, providing students with the opportunity to articulate between online (non-credit) and classroom based (credit) courses to increase student’s technical skills. Recommendations in this study include marketing to students the value of this training pathway for improving job readiness.

Businesses have offered to work closely with K-12 and post secondary educators, to provide simulated business cases to allow students to gain experience and boot camp style technical training offered through colleges and other training companies. The marketing of technical careers to students is achieved through an important partnership between business and education. By offering career fairs and other experiential learning opportunities to interest students, more individuals may be enticed to enter this field.

Engagement with professional business organizations offers students opportunities to network and practice soft skills, specifically professional communication. The Tampa Bay Technology Forum (TBTF) has offered students memberships and recently expanded student participation by establishing TBTF chapters on college campuses to encourage connections between students, businesses and faculty. Students reported being interested in participating and several chapters have already been initiated on three campuses in the Tampa Bay area, with expansion plans in the near future.


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Focus Area 3: Innovative Career Development, Recruitment and Retention Practices

To be competitive in the global market, business productivity requires the continuous acquisition of new skills that expand industry-wide technical competencies. New skills can be obtained through a variety of training methods.

Recruitment: Survey respondents reported that online career websites and LinkedIn are the top two ways they recruit IT employees. Small companies used LinkedIn more than any other recruitment tool, as opposed to medium and large companies that favor online career websites. While a few companies reported using scanning software, applicants are savvy and insert search terms in the margins of their resumes to increase the likelihood of having their qualifications considered.

Employment Culture: Hiring managers and CEOs stated that cultural fit, a relatively new criterion in human resources, is very important when recruiting new team members. A person’s style, approach and behavior on the job must be consistent with the values and expectations of the organization. A candidate might have the right experience, solid qualifications, a relevant work history, and have performed impressively during the interview process, but the applicant also needs to fit in with the culture. Collaboration requires the right mix of staff to maintain the desired level of productivity.

Mobile Workers: Over 70% of employers allow staff members to work offsite. However the HR/Hiring Manager Focus group identified that many companies are building a collaborative work environment that requires employees to be onsite. In interviews with area recruiters, and as confirmed by HR professionals, there are approximately 2,500 IT professionals that leave the area during the week for higher paying positions in other regions. Similarly, many IT professionals in the Tampa Bay area work remotely for companies located in the Northeast. Salaries: The issue of lower wages for Tampa Bay IT occupations was cited as a possible reason that employers were facing challenges in hiring and retaining talent. The survey did not clarify the issue since companies generally reported either paying the same or higher for the high demand positions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA wages are somewhat less than the national wages in five of the nine SOC categories, most notably for Computer Software Engineers. The Computer Programmer, which is the most difficult position to fill, BLS, reports the average hourly rate for Tampa Bay is $2 less than the national

Figure 13 - Salaries by Occupation


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average or over $4,000 annually. There is less than a 1% difference in the national average in three categories in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA that employers do not report difficulty filling.

We did use wage data for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA from the BLS to ask local companies if they pay around the average salaries reported for IT occupations in the area. Specifically, we were trying to understand if the small and midsize companies paid less than the average for the area, which we hypothesized could be a reason they are facing greater challenges hiring for their IT-based positions. Our research found that small companies, which are considered to be companies with 100 employees or less, report that they pay above the average wage for Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software and Database Administrators. Midsize companies, with greater than 100 employees but less than 500 employees, report that they pay the average wage for all of the main information technology occupations. Large companies, with greater than 500 employees, report that they pay above the average wage for Computer and Information Systems Managers and Computer Programmers. Please see Appendix 4, page 63 for detailed data. Recruitment of Military Veterans: Military veterans have been identified as a source of talent because of their military training, professionalism, commitment, and ability to work under pressure and changing conditions. In the Tampa Bay area there are a number of initiatives underway to encourage military veterans and their spouses to join the local workforce. Non-commissioned officer training is accepted by some businesses to meet the college requirements for certain occupations. Several area colleges will award academic credit for military experience on a case by case basis. The level of training and experience of the officer ranks and non-commissioned officers is perceived by many businesses as exceptional training for men and women so early in their careers.


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Focus Area 4: Regional Marketing and External Recruiting

Companies are seeking to hire new staff members with 3-5 years of experience and knowledge of enterprise level development logic, who require minimal supervision. Marketing the variety of IT career pathways will increase the breadth of local talent pool. Strengthening the collaborative relationships between education and business to focus on students’ transitions from school to the workplace could improve the initial productivity of new hires in the workplace.

Building and promoting a regional identity is the most effective approach for maintaining a competitive economic landscape.20 Marketing Tampa Bay as a tech-friendly area has been a point of discussion for many years. Below are the comments from several focus groups and interviews that illustrate the feedback regarding the critical need to accelerate those marketing efforts.

• We didn’t understand all that Tampa Bay had to offer until we moved here. • Young people want excitement. We need to market wakeboarding and use the internet more

strategically. • I’ve recruited people that have stayed here 20 years. No one knows about how great the area is. I

have an easy time recruiting from the Northeast and Texas and a difficult time recruiting from California.

• We need a startup company that makes it big. We need to showcase Tampa Bay as an innovation hub.

• Other communities offer cash prizes to resolve IT business problems. It becomes a marketable event, and companies fulfill a need.

• Every company is working on its own message, and then including “and we’re in Tampa Bay.” We need a collective message that we can send out. Too much marketing is being done within the community. We need the message going out.

• Successful companies have specific messages. We need to follow their examples and come out with a direct message to the rest of the world.

• No one is driving a message out. There is too much talking and not enough doing. The marketing that is done is within our community.

• We should be marketing to college students. Too many leave the area, because they don’t know what we have here.

• You see ads in New York and Chicago that Austin has technology. Tampa needs a presence in other cities.

• We need to connect FSU and UF to Tampa. We have the major businesses that could take their students and keep them in Florida.

20 Regional Business Plan, Tampa Bay Regional Business Plan


Organizations

• Awesome St. Pete• Awesome Tampa Bay• Tampa Bay Technology

Forum• Tampa Bay WaVE• Entrepreneur Social Club• Tampa Bay Inventors

Council• SEI Alliance• Startup Florida• Ignite Innovation Center• Gazelle Lab• USF Connect• Tampa Bay 6/20

Events

• BarCamp• Hack-a-thon• TEDx Tampa Bay• Startup Weekend• Startup Bus

User Groups and MeetUps

• SQL• BI• SharePoint• Oracle• JVM• ETC• Tampa Python• TampaDev• Tampa # (C# and .NET)• Tampa Web Technology• Central Florida Web

Developers• Tampa Red Brigade

Innovation:

According to Enterprise Florida, competitiveness and prosperity in the 21st century will be based on technology, knowledge, and innovation. There are many formal, informal and self-organized resources in the Tampa Bay area dedicated to the development of new technologies and new entrepreneurial business activities, in the form of organizations, events, user groups and meet-up groups. Recently, a $2 million grant was recently awarded by the US Department of Commerce to a partnership between the University of South Florida, the Tampa Bay Technology Forum, and the Tampa Bay Wave to establish an innovation and incubation hub for technology startups. Collectively these organizations, events and groups demonstrate the readiness of the region to respond to formal assistance in building a stronger IT workforce, and will provide an important foundation for the future economic growth of the Tampa Bay.

Figure 14 -Tampa Bay Innovation Resources


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Focus Area 5: Implementation & Coordination

Immediate action is necessary to impact the current talent gap while also planning for future growth. The solutions recommended by the IT Workforce Gap Taskforce involve strengthening partnership and coordination between business, education, government, and the talent pool.

The Taskforce has established Grow Tampa Bay Tech which will provide a central point of contact for the Taskforce partners, to initiate contact with business and education for the coordination and implementation of the first round of recommendations critical to creating the desired change.

The IT Workforce Taskforce will continue to lead the implementation process through Grow Tampa Bay Tech with the Tampa Bay Technology Forum (TBTF) managing the project with a designated central point of contact. The IT Workforce Gap Taskforce will provide the necessary oversight of the implementation process.

The mission of Grow Tampa Bay Tech (GTT) is to implement the first round of recommendations generated from the IT Workforce Gap Analysis project.

The study recommendations (Appendix 1) will be undertaken by local businesses, educational institutions, governmental and economic development groups, or a collaboration of partners. The IT Workforce Taskforce will provide oversight to Grow Tampa Bay Tech. During the first year of the project the following recommendations will be initiated.

1. Real-world training for high demand jobs a. Create a series of Exploration labs that allow students to practice technical skills b. Rapidly deploy continuous training in high demand skills c. Business professionals work alongside educators to define and deliver current technical

skills 2. Streamlining internships for tomorrow’s workforce

a. Develop process to use LinkedIn (LinkedIntern) to connect students to internships in area businesses

b. Expand internship opportunities c. Train businesses on best practices for effective internships

3. Innovative career development, recruitment, and retention practices

a. Promote participation of Grow Tampa Bay Tech activities among local user groups and Meet-Up

Figure 15: Grow Tampa Bay Tech Leadership


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b. Develop a Talent Satisfaction Index to quantify job/life/career satisfaction related to job retention

c. Expand recruitment of veterans into IT careers 4. Regional marketing and external recruiting

a. Conduct community challenges i.e. Hack-a-thons, code builds, etc. b. Introduce TBTF Chapters in area colleges and universities c. Grow partnerships between businesses and K-12 d. Market area to increase in-migration of IT Talent e. Train HR/Recruiters to sell the area to external talent

Grow Tampa Bay Tech will monitor progress of the implementation, communicate with Taskforce and community partners on the progress, and generate commitments from businesses, educational institutions, governments, and community partners.

Grow Tampa Bay Tech will design a process for measuring and reporting progress made on each recommendation.


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Community Involvement Can Bridge the Gap: Solving the current challenges and closing the gaps will require a combined community-wide effort between businesses, economic development organizations, colleges and universities, K-12 and public/private partnerships. If you are interested in participating in leading or sponsoring any of the activities presented in this study, please contact Heather Kenyon, CEO, and Tampa Bay Technology Forum at [email protected]

Tampa Bay IT Workforce Analysis Team

• Rick Homans, CEO Tampa Economic Development Corporation, Chair • Mike Meidel, Director, Pinellas County Economic Development • Ed Peachey, CEO, Tampa Bay WorkForce Alliance • Heather Kenyon, CEO, Tampa Bay Technology Forum (TBTF) • Stuart Rogel, President/CEO, Tampa Bay Partnership • Randy Berridge, President, Florida High Tech Corridor

Report Prepared by:

• Patricia K. Gehant, M.A., CCIO • Clay Gambetti, MBA

Research Consultation:

• Guy Hagen, VP Tucker Hall, Strategic Advisor • Dave Sobush, Tampa Bay Partnership • Kristin Daily, PhD, WorkNet Pinellas • Tim Haynes, Tech Columbus Group • Maureen Metcalf, Metcalf and Associates • Bill Lafayette, Regionomics • Steve Kropp and Bill Dobson Florida Department of Economic Opportunity • Kevin Lloyd and Courtney Manning Fairfield Index, Inc.

Funding:

This report was funded by the Tampa Bay WorkForce Alliance. Secondary funding was provided by the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation, Pinellas County Economic Development, Tampa Bay Technology Forum, and Tampa Bay Partnership.

Please visit www.TampaBayITWorkforceSurvey.com to download a copy of the Executive Summary and Full report.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.tampabayitworkforcesurvey.com/


Appendix 1: Summary of Recommendations:

Category\Recommendations Time Frame Resources Lead

Real World Training for High Demand Jobs - Employers reported a need to fill positions requiring specific technical skills. Students reported the desire to practice the technical skills they learn and to have access to the most current and beta versions of new technologies. Small and mid-size employers reported the need for graduates to have more technical skills.

1) Create Exploration Labs for students to practice new skills learned in the classroom, boot camps, and online courses. Similar labs exist within specific colleges and focus on technology taught in the classroom. These labs will cross the boundaries of the individual institutions and engage student, faculty, and businesses in classroom learning, business use cases, and community competitions. Creative Exploration Labs should include in-market and BETA versions of software and hardware and are intended to be a community wide partnership between educational institutions and business.

Short Funding/

Coordination Business Leader

2) Develop technical training programs, such as online and boot camp style opportunities for current high demand skills; Java, .NET, Agile development, cloud computing engineers, sales engineers, CRM and SharePoint. Prepare training in future areas of expansion including business analytics, big data, desktop support, computer and software engineers. Boot camp and online training should be supplemented with student-focused seminars to reinforce the skills learned. Market to IT professionals that are seeking updated skills reemployment.

Short Coordination Colleges

TBTF Online

Private Educators

3) IT professionals will coordinate with educators to develop business use cases for high demand technical courses including boot camp style sessions, classroom coursework, and Exploration Labs.

Medium Coordination TBTF Business Education

4) Offer quarterly webinars by business experts on new technology to assist faculty and to engage with vendors regarding the application of the technology in the workplace.

Medium Coordination TBTF

5) Expand recruitment of returning Veterans and provide supplemental technical training. Increased coordination of career pathways and jobs available.

Medium Coordination Business Leader WorkForce Boards

6) Participate in Department of Education recognized apprenticeship programs for high demand jobs.

Long Funding/

Coordination WorkNet Pinellas/ TBWorkForce Alliance


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21 Framework for 21st Century Learning is a holistic view of 21st century teaching and learning that combines a discrete focus on 21st century student outcomes, blending specific skills, content knowledge, expertise, and literacy. http://www.p21.org/overview. 22 STEM Education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real-world lessons as students apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in contexts that make connections between school, community, work, and the global enterprise enabling the development of STEM literacy and with it the ability to compete in the new economy (Tsupros, 2009).” 23 Career Pathways is a framework for connecting a series of educational programs with integrated work experience and support services. The goal is to provide a seamless system of career exploration, preparation, and skills upgrades linked to academic credits & credentials, available with multiple entry and exit points spanning middle and secondary school, post secondary institutions, adult education, and workplace education. Career Pathways as a Systematic Framework, League for Innovation in Community College, January 2007.


7) Expand the use of the IT Competency Model, the Framework for 21st Century21 skills, and STEM22 to provide both soft and technical skills for high school and college students to increase readiness to work.

Long Coordination Education

Streamline Internships for Tomorrow’s Workforce – New hires need to have more real world experiences with technologies, knowledge of enterprise systems, possess the right mix of academic and workplace competencies, and be proficient in multiple areas. Students are requesting more internship opportunities to allow for multiple internships to build a portfolio for graduation. Small to mid-size business are willing to offer internships but do not have the structure to manage these programs.

8) Encourage use of social networking tools, such as LinkedIn, to advertise opportunities that would allow companies to post opportunities, faculty to recommend students, and students to find opportunities. Create a team of students, business owners, and educators to define the functionality and process of the online solution.

Short Funding/

Coordination TBTF

9) Expand internship opportunities at all postsecondary institutions. While internships are offered at local colleges and universities, when students begin to increase participation through marketing efforts, more opportunities will be needed.

Short Coordination TBTF Education

10) Increase the capacity of career centers to provide students with career pathways23 and to be prepared to compete for internships earlier in their education.

Short Coordination Education

11) Provide training to businesses on best practices for setting up internships. Include discussion with students to provide feedback on the “best” and “worst” internship experiences.

Short Coordination TBTF

12) Conduct internship fairs to connect students with employers. Motivate students to seek multiple internship opportunities throughout their college experience that will expand their knowledge, technical skills, and awareness of local businesses.

Short Coordination TBTF

13) Businesses are requiring employees to have a broader range of leadership and technical skills. Motivate students seeking non-technical degrees to seek a double major/minor in the technology field.


http://www.p21.org/overview


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Innovative Career Development, Recruitment, and Retention Practices: To be competitive in the global market, business productivity requires the continuous acquisition of new skills that expand industry-wide technical competencies. New skills can be obtained through continuously available skills training and the retraining of talent with non-technical job experience.

14) Leverage existing or new channels to recruit external IT Talent. Market the numerous communities of interest that will support the skills development of staff. Examples include: SQL, Oracle SharePoint, JAVA, .NET, and other programming and IT skill areas.

Short Coordination Public/Private Partnership

15) Develop a Talent Satisfaction Index that will quantify job/life/career satisfaction and job retention. Begin to measure why talent remains loyal to the company.

Medium Coordination Private/Public Partnership

16) Explore practices to encourage and support talent development and career growth (mentoring, lifelong learning, IT leadership training, and apprenticeship programs).

Medium Coordination Business

17) Modify degree programs to accommodate students returning for a technical degree but have already completed non-technical degrees and have job experience.


18) Explore the range of practices that will support healthy collaboration between businesses to foster an innovative community.

Long Coordination TBTF

Regional Marketing and External Recruiting: Companies are seeking talent with 3-5 years experience and knowledge of enterprise level development, who require little supervision. Marketing the variety of IT career pathways will increase the local talent pool. The strengthening of relationships between education and business will increase the success of transition from school to the workforce. Innovation is a catalyst for an expanding the technology community along with engaging students, and attracting/recruiting an experienced talent.

19) Establish relationships with student organizations such as TBTF Student Chapters at colleges and universities in Tampa Bay.

Short Funding/ Coordination TBTF

20) Initiate recruiting trips around high demand skills by conducting marketing campaigns to target cities and by attending convergence events, universities, or virtual events to increase the in- migration of IT talent by marketing Tampa Bay nationally. Efforts will be coordinated with EDC groups to identity market information and resources. The campaign will use social media and technology networks.

Short Coordination EDOs

21) Provide training to HR, recruiters, and career placement professionals to increase knowledge of how to market the Tampa Bay area to prospective candidates. Provide talking points and other collateral resources.

Short Funding/

Coordination EDOs


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24 TechPath – Cultivating tomorrow’s workforce. http://www.floridahightech.com/techpath.php


22) Conduct technology challenges/competitions for students and professionals to test their problem solving and technical skills such as Hack-a-thons, code builds, etc.

Medium Coordination TBTF Student Chapters

23) Nurture and grow partnerships between K-12, universities, colleges, and community colleges and all size businesses to expose students to career options by conducting career exploration fairs connecting to programs such as TechPath24.

Medium Coordination Education

24) Managing a “Listening Post” that has continual feedback on the links between students, education, and business. Measure the progress on the implementation of the strategies.

Medium Coordination TBTF

25) Conduct a Parent / Business event that will bring parents and business and educational leaders together to discuss career options. Have a panel of business leaders describe the skills needed • Have educators describe the curriculum offered • Include extracurricular opportunities – aftercare and summer programs • Conduct in the spring before the traditional summer camp selections are made.

Medium Coordination TBTF Chapters

Implementation and Coordination

26) Establish a Business-Education Collaboration Team of area EDCs, business and education professionals to review implementation activities.

Short Funding/

Coordination TBTF/ IT Workforce Taskforce

27) Establish a measurement structure. Short Coordination TBTF

28) Implement recommendations. Long Coordination TBTF/

IT Workforce Taskforce

http://www.floridahightech.com/techpath.php


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Appendix 2: Gartner’s 2012 Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle

Source - http://www.forbes.com/sites/gartnergroup/2012/09/18/key-trends-to-watch-in-gartner-2012-emerging-technologies-hype-cycle-2/?ss=cloud-computing

http://www.forbes.com/sites/gartnergroup/2012/09/18/key-trends-to-watch-in-gartner-2012-emerging-technologies-hype-cycle-2/?ss=cloud-computing

http://www.forbes.com/sites/gartnergroup/2012/09/18/key-trends-to-watch-in-gartner-2012-emerging-technologies-hype-cycle-2/?ss=cloud-computing


Appendix 3: Information Technology Competency Model

Appendix 4: Survey Data and Secondary Data

34

Table of Contents Overview ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 35 Methodology for Calculating Vacant Positions ........................................................................................................................................................... 36 Respondents by County ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 37 Vacancies and Growth ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 38-40 Industry Representation ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 41 Are staff able to work offsite? ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 42 Aggregated Number of Responses for All Job Functions– Minimum Education Required ....................................................................................... 43 Aggregated Number of Responses for All Job Functions– Minimum Experience Required ...................................................................................... 44 Recruitment Methods Used by Frequency ................................................................................................................................................................... 45 Recruitment Methods Used by Frequency and by Company Size ............................................................................................................................... 46 Companies’ choices if they are unable to find a worker with a positions desired skill set .......................................................................................... 47 Companies’ choices if they are unable to find a worker with a positions desired skill set- by company size ............................................................. 48 How do you benchmark your IT salaries? .................................................................................................................................................................... 49 Five most important skills that staff must have ............................................................................................................................................................ 50 Which educational institutions does your organization recruit from? .......................................................................................................................... 51 Does your organization have a formal relationship with an educational institution? .................................................................................................. 52 What is your greatest retention challenge? ................................................................................................................................................................... 53 IT workforce barriers to growth .................................................................................................................................................................................... 54 Does your organization provide training to new hires? ................................................................................................................................................ 55 Does your organization provide continuous training to workers? .............................................................................................................................. 56 Does your organization offer internships? .................................................................................................................................................................... 57 Does your organization offer internships?- by company size ....................................................................................................................................... 58 Are your interns paid? ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 59 If you do not provide internships, would you be interested in providing them? ........................................................................................................ 60 Reasons Why Internships are not Offered ..................................................................................................................................................................... 61 Means by Which Staff Will Obtain Additional Skills ................................................................................................................................................ 62 Small Companies Salary Analysis- Entry Level ........................................................................................................................................................... 63 Small Companies Salary Analysis- Mid Level ........................................................................................................................................................... 63 Small Companies Salary Analysis- Experienced Level ................................................................................................................................................ 64 Mid-Sized Companies Salary Analysis- Entry Level ................................................................................................................................................... 65 Mid-Sized Companies Salary Analysis- Mid Level ................................................................................................................................................... 65 Mid-Sized Companies Salary Analysis- Experienced Level ........................................................................................................................................ 66 Large Companies Salary Analysis- Entry Level ........................................................................................................................................................... 67 Large Companies Salary Analysis- Mid Level ............................................................................................................................................................. 67 Large Companies Salary Analysis- Experienced Level ................................................................................................................................................ 68 Secondary Data Overview ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 69 Hillsborough-Pinellas Job Growth Rates by Year ........................................................................................................................................................ 70 Tampa-St. Pete-Clearwater MSA vs. National Average Wages ................................................................................................................................... 71 Labor Analysis- Tampa Bay MSA ................................................................................................................................................................................ 72 Help Wanted Online- Top Information Technology Occupations in Demand ............................................................................................................. 73 Help Wanted Online- Top Information Technology Employers by Online Ads.......................................................................................................... 74 Help Wanted Online- Online Ads by Counties ............................................................................................................................................................. 75 National IT Employed and Unemployed ...................................................................................................................................................................... 76 Economic Impact Study ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 77 Tampa Bay IT Education Enrollment .......................................................................................................................................................................... 78 Computer and Information Science (CIS) Degrees Conferred .................................................................................................................................... 79 IT Certification and Training......................................................................................................................................................................................... 80 Location Quotient ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 81

Job Function Analysis The analysis began with a series of employer interviews to understand which IT skills and job functions are most critical to Tampa Bay employers. Those job functions and skills that employers reported as being critical were asked on our survey. The questions were vetted for ordering and wording by several business persons, educators, and researchers. Individual questions were strategically examined for thoroughness and content, such as how far into future the survey should ask for job function growth. Key contributors to the development of the survey and the analysis include:

Guy Hagen, Tucker Hall Bill Dobson, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity

Michael Pearce, University of South Florida Kristin Dailey, WorkNet Pinellas

Courtney Manning, Fairfield Index Bill Lafayette, Regionomics

Many of the survey methods used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics were incorporated into the questions. They were provided in writing and further explained via phone and email by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Throughout the development of the survey and the analysis , Columbus, Ohio’s “The Skills Gap in Central Ohio IT Talent” was used as a guide. Contributors to Central Ohio’s analysis also provided valuable insights and feedback to Tampa Bay’s IT Gap Analysis. The survey was distributed with targeted emails to over 140 IT employers in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, along with team members sending the survey to their constituents through targeted emails and newsletters. There was also a website dedicated to the survey that explained the analysis and provided a link to the survey.

35

Methodology for Calculating Vacant Positions

The assigned weights are based on ¼ of the way between the endpoints of each range. When survey takers are given a range of choices, the true value tends to be at ¼ point between the two endpoints that are on either end of the range. The assigned weights were then multiplied by the number of respondents there were for each range, giving us the total for each range. The totals for each range were then added together. The totals were then multiplied by 7.517, which is the factor that equates our sample to the entire population.

None 1-4 5-9 10-29 30-39 40+

Application Architecture 14 8 2 0 0 0

Assigned Weight 0 1.75 6 14.75 32.25 40

Reponses X Weight 14 X 0 8 X 1.75 2 X 6 0 X 14.75 0 X 32.25 0 X 40

Total 0 14 12 0 0 0 26

26 X 7.517= 195 vacancies

36

Respondents by County

County BLS IT Workforce

BLS IT Workforce by Percentages

Skill Question Respondents

Skills Question

Respondents by

Percentages

**All Questions

Respondents

**All Questions

Respondents by

Percentages

Hillsborough 17,448 62.8% 2,302 62.3% 5,306 73.1%

Pinellas 10,344 37.2% 1,395 37.7% 1,955 26.9%

Total 27,792 100% 3,697 100% 7,261 100%

*One employer responded that it was in both counties- its 100 employees were distributed 60 to Hillsborough and 40 to Pinellas, based on the distribution of other IT employers responses. **Several companies were unable to respond to the number of staff by county, salary, and skills questions on the survey, but were able to respond to the remainder of the questions. There are an additional 2,000 IT workers were estimated to work in companies in Hillsborough and Pinellas based on secondary published data.

37

Vacancies and Growth Skill or Job Function Skill sets and Vacant Positions 24-Month Growth

Agile Development 385 789

Programmer - Java 235 319

Mobile Applications Development 235 338

Application Architecture 195 346

Programmer - .NET 195 410

Business Analytics/Data Mining 169 449

ERP Implementation 124 372

Project Manager - IT 124 346

Data Warehousing 124 201

JAVA Administrator 117 143

Software Engineer 98 333

Database Administrator 92 280

Desktop Support 92 588

System Analyst 92 235

Med. Rec - Epic 90 111

Software Quality Assurance Engineer 85 201

Business Process Management/CRM 79 137

System Integration 79 53

N = 58 38

* Projections are reported at the 95% statistical confidence level, with an estimated sampling error of ± 1.5%

Skill or Job Function Vacant Positions 24-Month Growth

Web Development/Website Design 79 137

Cloud Computing Operations 71 130

Software Quality Assurance Tester 71 201

Cloud Computing Engineer 66 188

Network Administration 66 216

Programmer -C++, C# 66 111

Sales Engineer 66 79

Virtualization Engineer 66 53

Ruby on Rails Developer 58 71

Windows Administration 58 85

Computer Engineer 53 293

Software Engineer 45 58

Med. Rec - Cerner 45 111

Cloud Computing Systems Architect 39 79

Programmer - Open Source 26 71

Telecommunication Support 26 58

Wireless Network Management 26 53

SAP/PeopleSoft Developers 26 58

Vacancies and Growth- Continued

N = 58 39


Vacancies and Growth- Continued Skill or Job Function Vacant Positions 24-Month Growth

Data Modeling 26 53

Oracle DBA 26 71

Green IT (power grid, smart buildings, etc.) 13 26

Health Informatics 13 58

Security Officer 13 26

Business Objects 13 26

Management Information (MIS) 13 103

Programmer - CICS s 0 13

Programmer - Cobol 0 13

Programmer - DB2 0 13

Red Hat Linux System Administrator 0 0

Ruby on Rails Engineer 0 13

Identity and Access Management 0 13

VoIP 0 58

Computer Scientist 0 0

Med. Rec. - NextGen 0 0

Med. Rec. - Vitera 0 0

TOTAL 3,684 8,192

N = 58 40


Industry Representation

Healthcare, 8

Manufacturing, 4

Public Administration, 2

Utilities, 2

Leisure, 3

Marketing, 4

Finance & Insurance, 4

Education , 3

Technical Services, 34

N = 64 41

Are staff able to work offsite?

42

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

IT staff are able to work off-site

IT staff are required to workon-site

IT staff can work from outsideof the state

IT staff can work from outsideof the country

N = 64

Aggregated Number of Responses for All Job Functions– Minimum Education Required

Less than a high school diploma, 2

High school diploma, 64

Associate's degree, 65

Bachelor's of arts, 65

Bachelor's of science, 218

Master's degree, 13

N = 50 43

Aggregated Number of Responses for All Job Functions– Minimum Experience Required

44

3-5 Years Experience, 195 5+ Years Experience, 98

1-2 Years Experience, 80

No Experience, 3

N = 50

Recruitment Methods Used, by Response Frequency

45

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

N = 54

Recruitment Methods Used, by Response Frequency and by Company Size

46

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

LinkedIn Online career websites Staffing firms College career centers

Small

Medium

Large

N = 54

If your company is unable to find a worker with a position’s desired skill set:

47

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Hire individualcontractor

Leave thepositionunfilled

Hire someonewithout the

desired skill setand train them

Move functionoutside of

Tampa Bayarea

Require thatother staff take

on theadditionalworkload

Outsourcefunctions to aTampa Bay

area company

Hire H1B Visacandidate

Outsourcefunctions to anon-Tampa

Bay areacompany

N = 54

If your company is unable to find a worker with a position’s desired skill set (by company size):

48

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Hire Someone without the DesiredSkill Set

Leave Position Unfilled Hire Contractor

Small

Medium

Large

N = 54

How do you benchmark your IT salaries?

49

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

National wage data - (National BLS,CareerOneStop.org)

Local wage data - (MSA BLS, FloridaDepartment of Economic Opportunity)

Purchase a compensation study

N = 58

Select the 5 most important skills that your staff must have:

50

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

N = 45

Which educational institutions does your organization recruit from?

(Only the top 6 are shown)

51

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

University of SouthFlorida

University of Tampa St. PetersburgCollege

HillsboroughCommunity College

Eckerd College Saint Leo University

N = 41

Does your organization have a formal relationship with an educational institution?

52

Yes 32%

No 68%

N = 51

What is your greatest retention challenge?

53

Competitive compensation

51%

Move out of area 10%

Promoted 12%

Retirements 8%

Work-life balance 19%

N = 49

Rank the following IT workforce barriers to growth, with 1 as the greatest barrier:

(Average rankings are displayed)

54

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00

Competition for IT workers

Shortage of workers currently having the needed IT technicalknowledge or skills

Difficulty recruiting IT talent from outside of the region

Shortage of programs to train workers

N = 53

Does you organization provide training to new hires?

55

Yes 76%

No 24%

N = 54

Does your organization provide continuous training to workers?

56

Yes 96%

No 4%

N = 54

Does your organization offer internships?

57

Yes 64%

No 36%

N = 54

Does your organization offer internships?(by company size)

58

Yes 67%

No 33%

Yes 58%

No 42%

Yes 68%

No 32%

N = 54

Small Medium Large

Are your interns paid?

59

Yes 91%

No 9%

N = 27

If you do not provide internships, would you be interested in providing them?

60

Yes 35%

No 65%

N = 17

Reasons Why Internships are not Offered

61

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

Difficulty ofintegrating part-timestudent workers into

the workflow

Lack of individual(s)who could manage

student workers

Concerns regardingquality of work

Time and costs ofadding interns to

personnel andpayroll systems

Difficulty ofintegrating part-timestudent workers into

the physicalworkspace

Concerns regardinglabor law

requirements

N = 15

Means by Which Staff Will Obtain Additional Skills

62

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

External trainingprograms andcertifications

Internal training program Universities Community colleges Apprenticeship

N = 54

Small Companies Salary Analysis- Entry Level Occupation Hourly Wage Lower Same Higher Response Count

Computer and Information Systems Managers $42.16 2 6 0 8

Computer Programmers $20.86 0 5 2 7

Computer Software Engineers, Applications $27.43 1 4 3 8

Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software $28.61 0 1 4 5

Computer Support Specialists $13.57 1 3 6 10

Computer Systems Analysts $26.37 0 2 2 4

Database Administrators $23.81 0 2 5 7

Network and Computer Systems Administrators $23.50 1 6 4 11

Occupation Hourly Wage Lower Same Higher Response Count









Small Companies Salary Analysis- Mid Level

63










Small Companies Salary Analysis- Experienced Level

Small companies, which are considered to be companies with 100 employees or less, report to pay above the average wage for Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software and Database Administrators. They seem to pay an average wage for all experience levels for all of the other main information technology occupations.

64

Midsize Companies Salary Analysis- Entry Level Occupation Hourly Wage Lower Same Higher Response Count


















Midsize Companies Salary Analysis- Mid Level

65










Midsize Companies Salary Analysis- Experienced Level

Midsize companies, which are considered to be companies with greater than 100 employees but less than 500 employees, report to pay the average wage for all of the main information technology occupations.

66

Large Companies Salary Analysis- Entry Level Occupation Hourly Wage Lower Same Higher Response Count


















Large Companies Salary Analysis- Mid Level

67

Large Companies Salary Analysis- Experienced Level Occupation Hourly Wage Lower Same Higher Response Count









Large companies, which are considered to be companies with greater than 500 employees report to pay above the average wage for Computer and Information Systems Managers and Computer Programmers. They seem to pay an average wage for all experience levels for all of the other main information technology occupations.

68

Secondary Data Secondary data that was collected over the course of the analysis served as a reference for comparison of our related data, and it helped give depth and perspective to our data. For example, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity forecasts that the number of computer programmers will decrease by 3% over the next 8 years. Survey respondents were reporting that they were facing the largest challenges trying to hire computer programmers and that they would have a high demand for programmers in the future. In fact, Java and .NET programmers were both within the top five highest demanded job functions. The secondary data’s negative projected job growth explains that other programming languages are becoming less useful and that training resources should be shifted away from other languages in programming and towards Java and .NET. The issue of lower Tampa Bay IT salaries was cited as a possible reason that employers were facing challenges in hiring. We used wage data for the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA from the BLS to ask local companies if they pay around the average for the area. Specifically, we were trying to understand if the small and mid-sized companies paid less than the average for the area, which we hypothesized could be a reason they are facing greater challenges hiring for their IT-based positions. Our research found that small companies, which are considered to be companies with 100 employees or less, report to pay above the average wage for Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software and Database Administrators. Midsize companies, which are considered to be companies with greater than 100 employees but less than 500 employees, report to pay the average wage for all of the main information technology occupations. Large companies, which are considered to be companies with greater than 500 employees report to pay above the average wage for Computer and Information Systems Managers and Computer Programmers. Data from Help Wanted OnLine™ directed our attention to certain job areas and certain companies that were posting a large quantity of jobs. We were able to contact some of the companies directly.

69

Hillsborough-Pinellas Job Growth Rates by Year

-

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Computer Specialists, All Other

Network Systems & Data CommunicationAnalystsNetwork and Computer Systems Administrators

Database Administrators

Computer Systems Analysts

Computer Support Specialists

Comp. Software Engineers, Systems Software

Computer Software Engineers, Applications

Computer Programmers

Computer and Information Systems Managers

Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Employment Projections 2011-2019 70

Hillsborough-Pinellas Counties Employment PercentCode Occupation Title 2011 2019 Change

11.3021 Computer and Information Systems Managers 1,519 1,717 13.0%15.1021 Computer Programmers 3,761 3,646 -3.1%15.1031 Computer Software Engineers, Applications 3,932 4,783 21.6%15.1032 Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software 1,946 2,343 20.4%15.1041 Computer Support Specialists 4,370 4,868 11.4%15.1051 Computer Systems Analysts 5,098 5,857 14.9%15.1061 Database Administrators 1,103 1,306 18.4%15.1071 Network and Computer Systems Administrators 2,180 2,526 15.9%15.1081 Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts 3,091 4,214 36.3%15.1099 Computer Specialists, All Other 792 937 18.3%

Total IT Occupations 27,792 32,197 15.8%Total All Occupations 1,081,661 1,228,720 13.6%

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA vs. National Average Wages

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2011 National, Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

71

Occupations Tampa- St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA Mean Hourly Wage National Mean Hourly Wage

Computer and Information Systems Managers $60.57 $60.41

Computer Programmers $34.50 $36.54

Computer Software Engineers, Applications $40.25 $44.27

Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software $41.31 $48.28

Computer Support Specialists $21.13 $24.91

Computer Systems Analysts $39.51 $39.58

Database Administrators $37.11 $37.19

Network and Computer Systems Administrators $35.44 $35.71

Computer Specialists, All Other $36.87 $38.70

Labor Analysis- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA

SOC Code Occupation 2011 Employment Job Seekers Educational and WIA Program Completers Total Estimated Supply

11.3021 Computer and Information Systems Managers 1,598 562 0 2,160

15.1021 Computer Programmers 3,991 299 32 4,322

15.1031 Computer Software Engineers, Applications 4,090 171 0 4,261

15.1032 Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software 2,009 91 0 2,100

15.1041 Computer Support Specialists 4,656 1,123 357 6,136

15.1051 Computer Systems Analysts 5,323 212 12 5,547

15.1061 Database Administrators 1,167 107 14 1,288

15.1071 Network and Computer Systems Administrators 2,325 488 185 2,998

15.1081 Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts 3,296 181 23 3,500

15.1099 Computer Specialists, All Other 824 791 0 1,615

Total Labor Supply 29,279 4,025 623 33,927

Sources:1. Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, Labor Market Statistics Center, Occupational Employment Statistics (OES). Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Labor Market Statistics Center, Occupational Employment Statistics (OES). 2. Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Employ Florida Marketplace Data Store Job Seekers, 4/14/2012 - 5/13/2012. 3. Florida Department of Education, Community College and Vocational College School Year Data 2010-2011. WIA completer data from Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Workforce Information System, 11/14/2011 - 5/13/2012.

1 2 3

72

Help Wanted Online- Top Information Technology Occupations in Demand, Hillsborough/Pinellas

SOC Code Occupation Online Ads May 2012 Online Ads May 2011 Percent Change

11.3021 Computer and Information Systems Managers 217 207 5%

15.1021 Computer Programmers 281 291 -3%

15.1031 Computer Software Engineers, Applications 353 291 21%

15.1032 Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software 67 46 46%

15.1041 Computer Support Specialists 622 520 20%

15.1051 Computer Systems Analysts 895 716 25%

15.1061 Database Administrators 175 118 48%

15.1071 Network and Computer Systems Administrators 446 359 24%

15.1081 Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts 117 72 63%

Help Wanted Online uses a spider software system that reaches out to all of the jobs websites, collects the jobs, and eliminates duplicates. Above are the number of online ads for the main IT SOC codes for Hillsborough and Pinellas counties in May of 2011 and May of 2012.

73

Source: The Conference Board, Help Wanted OnLine ™

Help Wanted Online- Top Information Technology Employers by Online Ads, Hillsborough/Pinellas

Employer Online Ads May 2012 Online Ads May 2011 IBM Corporation 107 0

CITI 98 85 Deloitte 96 94

Verizon Communications 75 14 The Nielsen Company 67 87 Verizon Florida, LLC 66 14

Software Guidance & Assistance, Inc. 53 21 General Dynamics Information Technology 52 40

JPMorgan Chase 51 52 SAIC 51 25 Jabil 48 36

L-3 STRATIS 48 15 Raymond James 46 39

General Dynamics 45 44 Jabil Circuit 45 12

Citigroup 42 8 L-3 Communications 41 13

Wellcare Health Plans, Inc 32 18 Baycare Health System 31 9

Western Union 31 0 HSN 27 32 PWC 27 10

General Dynamics - IT 27 26 Lockheed Martin 24 42


Help Wanted Online uses a spider software that reaches out to all of the jobs websites, collects the jobs, and eliminates duplicates. Above are the companies that had the most online IT job ad postings as of May 2012. Results from May of 2011 are also listed for comparison.

74

Help Wanted Online- Online Ads by Counties County City Online Ads May 2012 Online Ads May 2011 Percent Change

Hillsborough County 3,415 2,583 32%

Tampa 3,107 2,411 29%

Temple Terrace 195 97 101%

Brandon 40 33 21%

Pinellas County 1,085 1,031 5%

Saint Petersburg 677 607 12%

Clearwater 238 181 31%

Oldsmar 65 118 -45%


Help Wanted Online uses a spider software that reaches out to all of the jobs websites, collects the jobs, and eliminates duplicates. Above are the online ads for IT occupations according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics divided into counties and further broken down into the largest cities/census designated places in those counties for May of 2011 and May of 2012.

75

National IT Employed and Unemployed Occupations Employed Unemployed Unemployment Rate

Computer and mathematical occupations 3,760,000 140,000 3.6

Computer systems analysts 505,000 15,000 2.9

Computer programmers 469,000 18,000 3.7

Software developers, applications and systems software 1,036,000 26,000 2.5

Web developers 178,000 6,000 3.0

Computer support specialists 487,000 43,000 8.2

Database administrators 89,000 5,000 5.7

Network and computer systems administrators 229,000 11,000 4.7

Computer network architects 152,000 1,000 0.8

Computer occupations, all other 338,000 13,000 3.6

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Q2 2012

Unemployed for specific occupations are only calculated on a national level. The numbers are from the second quarter of 2012. Total unemployment numbers are calculated on a MSA level. The total unemployment rate for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA was 9.0% as of June 2012, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics.

76

IT Economic Impact in the Hillsborough-Pinellas Region

The IT cluster directly contributes 55,991 jobs to the region, which results in an additional gain of 40,258 jobs in local businesses. In addition, another 48,651 jobs in the region are gained due to increased household sector demand. The direct 55,991 jobs will result in a total of 144,900 jobs. Expressed in terms of a multiplier, for every job in IT, another 1.58 jobs will be gained in the region, for a total of 2.58 jobs. The value added represents the county gross domestic product (GDP). The two-county region is estimated to receive $15,898,585,843 in GDP from IT. Total labor income from IT is $8,996,267,019.

Impact Type Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

Direct Effect -55,991 -$4,688,488,281 -$8,053,863,024 -$14,773,043,550

Indirect Effect -40,258 -$2,177,354,980 -$3,971,353,219 -$6,555,935,493

Induced Effect -48,651 -$2,130,423,758 -$3,873,369,601 -$6,344,037,488

Total Effect -144,900 -$8,996,267,019 -$15,898,585,843 -$27,673,016,531

Multiplier 2.588 1.919 1.974 1.873

Source: MIG, Inc., IMPLAN System (data and software), 502 2nd Street, Suite 301, Hudson, WI 54016

2012 Effects of Removing the IT Cluster from the Study Area

This study is based on the information technology cluster definition provided by Enterprise Florida, Inc. This cluster definition includes 52 industries from the manufacturing; retail trade; information; professional, scientific, and technical services; educational services; arts, entertainment, and recreation; and other services industry sectors. These industries were matched, if possible, to IMPLAN economic modeling software industries. The study area employment for each of the mapped industries was found and entered as a negative employment change in each industry, effectively removing the industry from the area. This was done to observe the effects of removing the IT industries from the Hillsborough-Pinellas region and to determine the contribution of the IT cluster to the area in terms of employment, labor income, value added, and output.

77

Tampa Bay IT Education Enrollment

Sources: Tampa Bay Business Journal, 2012 Book of Lists– total enrollment numbers were taken from individual educational institutions’ websites

78

Rank Name and Address Fall 2011 Tech Enrollment/ Total Enrollment

Full-Time Tech Faculty / Degree Programs Technology Majors Available

1 Hillsborough Community College 39 Columbia Drive, Tampa 33606

1,677 47,304

16 Associates

Computer information systems, science, administration, engineering and programming, graphic design, digital media/multimedia, IT security, network administration, web design, database technology

2 St. Petersburg College P.O. Box 13489, St. Petersburg 33733

1,262 45,333

11 Certificates, Associates, Bachelors

Computer networking, computer web programming, information technology security, website design and management, digital arts, technology management

3 University of South Florida 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa 33620

958 47,214

63 Associates, Bachelors, Masters, Doctoral

Computer science and engineering, information systems, decision sciences, information systems and sciences

4 Ringling College of Art and Design 2700 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota 34234

780 1,376

45 Bachelors

Computer animation, graphic and interactive communications , photography, digital film, game art, motion design, interior design

5 State College of Florida 5840 26th St. W. Bradenton 34207

384 30,000

6 Associates

Computer information technology, computer programming and analysis, graphic design technology, internet services technology, drafting and design technology, networking administrator

6 Polk State College 999 Avenue H N. E., Winter Haven 33881

355 15,015

3 Certificates, Associates

CISCO, computer network engineering tech, computer systems and business analysis, digital media/multimedia tech, microcomputer repair/install

7 Saint Leo University P.O. Box 6665, Saint Leo 33574

200 15,546

6 Bachelors Computer information systems, computer science

8 Pinellas Technical Education Center-Clearwater 6100 154th Ave. N., Clearwater 33760

115 12,000

92 Certificates

Computer systems technology, network cabling specialist, computer graphics, integrated systems voice and messaging

9 University of Tampa 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa 33606

115 6,900

40 Associates, Bachelors, Masters

Graphic design, management information systems, digital arts, film and media arts, new media production, mathematical programming

10 Florida Southern College 111 Lake Hollingsworth Drive, Lakeland 33801

81 2,185

16 Associates, Bachelors, Masters

Computer science, computer science and mathematics, graphic design, communication: advertising and public relations, broadcast, print and online media

Tampa Bay Region Tampa-Orlando Super Region State of Florida

Total Degrees 398 1,061 3,515

Associate’s Degrees 118 485 1,036

Bachelor’s Degrees 280 541 2,005

Master’s Degrees N/A 27 424

Sources: Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2009 and State of Florida Board of Governors * Tampa Bay Region is defined as the counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Sarasota and Manatee

Computer and Information Science (CIS) Degrees Conferred

Information represents CIS degrees, which may or may not be found within each institution’s College of Business Within the 11 state universities, a total of 17,195 Business Degrees were conferred in 2009-2010 academic year Students in majors outside of the Computer and Information Sciences degree programs may also have IT knowledge and training

79

CompTIA Oracle PMP Redhat Adobe CIW Microsoft Cisco Vmware Linux Novell

Computer Coach

x x x x x x

CTT x x x x x x New Horizons x x x x x x x x x x

CBT Planet x x x x x x x x x ExecuTrain x x x x x x Boson x x x TechSherpas x x x x x x x x TechSkills Tampa

x x x x

K Alliance x x x x x x x x

Number of certification and course types (30) Number offering hands-on training (3) Number offering company training (4)

IT Certification and Training

*Red indicates training only

80

Location Quotient

81

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, IT occupations used in the calculation were chosen based Columbus, Ohio’s “The Skills Gap in Central Ohio IT Talent”

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20


Attachment 5 -Focus Group Notes

Student Focus Group

Date: July 24th

Location: USF Student Center, Room 3700, 6:30 – 8 pm

Moderator: Clay Gambetti

Attending – Pat Gehant, Dr. Moez Limayem

9 participants – 5 USF first time students; 3 HCC adult students; 1 UT adult student. Adult students were on a second career and degree seeking.

What makes Tampa Bay a great place to live?

• Positives = weather • Negatives = transportation

o Lacks public transportation system. Several USF students were from NYC and used to public transit system. This effected ability to get internships

o Commute between cities – the bridges – are a challenge to get to and from internships and jobs

o Company headquarters are not located in the area. Students believe they will have a limited career path in a non headquartered business. Also felt that the career ladder in a smaller firm would be limited while others felt they would have more exposure and opportunity to learn.

• Only 3 participants lived in Tampa Bay their whole life. These were the USF students • Like the University (USF, UT) • One student transferred from NYC to attend USF to obtain a Bachelors degree because the AA

degree did not provide the career opportunities she thought when she entered the program. • Moved here after layoff

What age did you become interested in technology career?

• Career change to what I enjoyed doing (Adult student) • Hillsborough County Highschool Magnet program provided hands on experience. Provided

student with immediate feedback on what student could do. Student felt that the immediate gratification created the long term interest in the field.

• Started web design work for family at 17 • Introduced in a HS class by a teacher • Switched major from nursing to technology because they enjoyed computers and realized

computers/technology was more interesting. Always played with computers. • Had undergraduate degree in electrical engineer. Move to Naples after two layoffs. When laid

off third time decided to change careers. Starting over at UT in systems analysis.


Page 83

• Started in 1990 with a MAC and has been attending various tech classes over the years. Attending HCC to obtain a certification as a DBA

• Transition from construction, bartending and hospitality after several layoffs. • Turning point for one student was participating in the USF First Robotics Competition.

Loved the immediate thrill of the challenge and to see the results. “Instant reward for effort”. (Student was a product of Hillsborough County Schools magnet programs)

• Most participants started playing with technology before college.

What are your thoughts on Internships?

• 2 reported experience with unpaid internships with community organizations that just needed free tech support. This gave them low level job experience but no job prospects

• Some would like an internship that would lead to fulltime work. • Students felt there was a need to be selective about the internship to make sure that the

company had enough presage (my term) that would be impressive to future employers • Felt “that you can hurt yourself if you stay too long in one place. You need to move around

to learn.” • Some did not expect the internship to lead to employment, just experience. • Need an opportunity to practice “high level” skills. Students can practice at home and use

resources on the web but really need more resources to learn the skills. They do not learn the current and future technology in the classroom. They are willing to practice but just need access to the updated technology.

• Internship can type cast you for future employment.

Where do you look for internships?

• Career Centers at USF • Monster • Career Fairs • Students recommend that there be competition for internships and that companies sponsor

challenges and that the best solutions are offered internships. • Some received notices and emails through connected professors. HCC, USF, UT. • Companies that attend Career Fairs are there because they were invited not because they have

jobs or internships and are a waste of time. One student felt stressed by career fairs. “I might get a late start and not have it all together; printer might miss print resume; I might be tired.” He preferred an online process where he can collect his thoughts.

• Online competitions are a better way to find a job because the “business will come to you.” • White Hatters USF http://wcsc.myweb.usf.edu/site/index.php good source for security firms to

interact with students. • Liked the Hack-a-thon in Tampa recently. Need more of that type of activity. • Students all felt there was a need to increase the awareness of internships and reach out more to

students. Felt that “15 students were after 5 great internships.” “What about the rest of us?” • Students want to know more about the companies to determine what the opportunities are in the

area.

http://wcsc.myweb.usf.edu/site/index.php


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• Students want companies to get involved in the Senior Projects. Professors appear to randomly distribute the projects provided by business without student input. There was not enough feedback from the companies and the technology required is old.

• Students want to learn current technologies. They are not looking for a job doing “maintenance” on old systems – ASP, PHP, etc.

Barriers

• The 3-5 years experience. Need opportunities to obtain experience while in school • The employed students said the pay scale is low and that there is turnover in companies and that

those who gain greater skills just move to better paying jobs stressing those left behind because persons are hired with less experience and impact overall productivity of the team.

• One adult student felt that the courses required to get a tech degree were heavily weighted towards liberal arts; Of the 120 credit hours required for the degree only 15 – 20 were in the technical field. Needed more technical training as part of the curriculum. Can an experienced student be given credit for liberal arts courses taken with first degree and just take technical courses?

• Don’t teach ASP or PHP. ACCESS is still being taught in the class as the database of choice.

Recommendations

1. More internships 2. Have business interact more with students to increase awareness of opportunities. 3. Provide more work/hands on experience to students that can be included in the resume as work

experience. Provide students an opportunity to gain on the “3-5 years experience” required by businesses.

4. Develop “Practice Labs” on campus to allow students to practice the latest technology. Coordinate interaction between students and professionals – online and on site – providing real world applications.

5. Review options to grant credit to students returning seeking a second career rather than require an electrical engineer returning to seek an MIS degree to retake humanities.

6. Engage business to more actively take part in the Senior Projects providing real world examples annually. Consider adding projects earlier in the degree process to assure interest and potential success of student in the career field.

7. Involve business with student organizations to increase awareness of opportunities in the Tampa Bay area.

8. Consider using area students to participate in the development of an internship portal

Follow up Activities

1. Assist Student leader contact a business leader to discuss job market/career decisions at the Business and MIS student organizations


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CEO/CIO IT Focus Group- August 16th

What can you say about marketing?

• We didn’t understand all that Tampa Bay had to offer until we moved here. • Young people want excitement. We need to market wakeboarding and use the internet more

strategically. • I’ve recruited people that have stayed here 20 years. No one knows about how great the area is. I

have an easy time recruiting from the Northeast and Texas and a difficult time recruiting from California.

• We need a startup company that makes it big. We need to showcase Tampa Bay as an innovation hub.

• Other communities offer cash prizes to resolve IT business problems. It becomes a marketable event, and companies fulfill a need.

• Every company is working on their own message, and then including “and we’re in Tampa Bay.” We need a collective message that we can send out. Too much marketing is being done within the community. We need the message going out.

• Successful companies have specific message. We need to follow their example and come out with a direct message to the rest of the world.

• No one is driving a message out. There is too much talking and not enough doing. The marketing that is done is within our community.

• We should be marketing to college students. Too many leave the area, because they don’t know what we have here.

• You see ads in New York and Chicago that Austin has technology. Tampa needs a presence in other cities.

• We need to connect FSU and UF to Tampa. We have the major businesses that could take their students and keep them in Florida.

How do we get companies into educational institutions?

• I’ve tried to have interns for the past 4 years. This is the first year that I’ve been successful in getting one. I need an easy way into the colleges. I pay $15-$20 per hour for interns too.

• A lot of students work in bars to pay their bills. • The larger high-tech companies are taking the top level IT students. Most companies don’t need

these; they need smart students with general knowledge that can be trained. • We need to look at best practices. Some companies are working with universities. • The companies that work with universities have many resources. The small to midsized

companies need an easy way to work with universities and get interns. • Students want to participate. They just don’t know how to get included. • TBTF is a professional organization, which is great, but we need a student organization. We need

to get in front of the students. • There is a society of human resources on college campuses that teaches students about human

resource jobs and opportunities. Technology needs something similar. • Businesses need to get on schools’ advisory boards.


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• We need to create a forum environment. Everything is decentralized. The business and education relationship needs to be two sided.

• It takes a lot of time for businesses to get involved in colleges. It’s worthwhile, but small companies don’t have a lot of time to spend in a classroom.

• Students need to be able to practice. Take students and have on them work on a branch of what we’re doing, so they can get idea of what working in our field is really like.

What are your thoughts on interns?

• Interns come in and don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to make an internship work in my organization. It would be good if someone could educate businesses on how to best structure an internship.

• It’s easy to get frustrated with an internship program. It’s good for our company to get exposure from the internship. We could just give the interns problems to solve. It would be nice to have the university build internships into their infrastructure and lead getting them out to businesses.

• We have a competition to solve a certain problem that we have that we set up at a university in New York. We offer cash prizes for the best solutions, and we are able to cherry-pick the best students.

• Interns are a low-risk way for us to evaluate talent. We can see if they are able to adapt quickly.

Would you take students without a college degree?

• I’ll take high school students if they’ve been developing for a couple years and can show me what they can do.

• Companies can’t expect to the ideal candidate. It’s like trying to fit a round peg in a square hole. • We need a rounded person. As long as they have some base skills and understanding, we can

teach them the rest.

Final Thoughts

1. Government, universities and businesses need to come together. The best solutions always come when they do. They could set up internships.

2. Get the word out to universities that businesses want to work with them. 3. Make Tampa known for something. 4. Companies need to get into universities and get name recognition. 5. Companies need an easy way to contact schools. 6. There needs to be better integration between business and schools. A lab would be a way to do

this. 7. There are three pieces: branding, communication, and integration. 8. Businesses need to get involved in government and education.


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IT HR Professionals

How could recruiting practices be improved?

EDOs know how to market the area; recruiters don’t always know how to sell Tampa Bay.

Need to focus on sales Recruiters and HR need to focus on relationships, rather than requirements. All of these companies look the same on paper; we need to make a company unique and a

good working opportunity. Many companies use online posting as an advertisement for company, and then screen

out good applicants, because they get 100 resumes. Need to eliminate the mindset that it’s a buyer’s market. Within IT workers have a

distinct advantage. Companies should look within first and see who has the potential to move up. Companies need to pay for relocation to get top talent. Provide internships to students from Tampa that are studying elsewhere. 90% of people

go back to their home if opportunities are there. The participants repeatedly emphasized the importance of a liberal arts education (not

stated explicitly, but by example) over a narrow technical education. There was considerable discussion regarding the tools used by recruiters to encourage

talent to come to the area. It was discussed that recruiters would benefit from a “package of marketing materials” that will help them bring in new talent including marketing material on all the local amenities. Consider providing training to recruiter and HR staff on recruiting new talent to the area

Barriers hiring managers and recruiters experiencing when trying to hire include: o Relocation support o The image of the school o The property insurance o Lack of public transportation.

Note – a tool for the recruiters can be the different user groups and socal groups in the area that are for IT professionals and young professionals.

o Emerge o TBTF o Tech User Groups – SQL, SharePoint

Current recruiting processes – in particular screening and job posting software – is admittedly a barrier to nontraditional candidates. By extension, this is also a barrier to people trying to reskill from other professions into IT fields, or from obsolete IT skills (COBOL) to more current ones.

Marketing effort that includes business and education to define why they should come here.

Education becomes less critical later in career if person has been working in technology for a number of years.

Would consider hiring a person that has been learning new skills over a lifetime rather than learning new technology after 20 years working with the same skill set.


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What are ways that Tampa Bay could be marketed better to IT professionals? Tampa Bay has little that it is known for- Silicon Valley has technology, Detroit has cars,

Boston has biotech, New York has finance, Orlando has animation The area needs a cool factor. Not many people know what Tampa Bay has to offer; there are lots of hidden gems. Market the K-12 education systems and its ties to leading edge technology. Many young IT professionals with children are hesitant on Tampa Bay, because of its

perceived poor school systems. Some Managers will hire job with a warm body rather than let the position remain vacant

too long to avoid the potential of moving the jobs to another location.

Which jobs are the most difficult to fill? The 5-10 year experience person. Entry level is easy if your pay is competitive. Positions that require a lot of writing. Not many young people write well. No longer a place for the “pure geek”. Person must have communication and technical skills. STEM is great but need to think, write, and communicate. Need to improve literacy skills Educators are steering students to the wrong degrees and skill sets. Students want to get the

degree quick and take the minimum required. Not enough time is spent on the critical skills. Schools are not teaching real world skills. They are using short cuts. Student cannot code from a

commend line. They use programs that only teach the student to drag and drop, not the coding behind the drag and drop function.

Many staff are reluctant to branch out and learn new skills. The world is different and after job market was compares, job functions remained but the job did not return. Staff now needs to know multiple functions. Companies are looking for multi-skilled workers.

Experienced programmers can be reluctant to move into management. Need to offer leadership training opportunities for staff. Many companies hire on the basis of personality rather than skills. Skills are easier to learn than

the personal skills. It was agreed by all not to lower the bar or standards The group was positive on telecommuting if there were benchmarks achieved. Preferred to have

workers for most jobs on site or in the area. Several companies had security reasons for having staff on site.

What are some of the talent pools that could be tapped to close the gap? Rural outsourcing-finding talent in the rural communities around Tampa and either bring to office

or allow telecommuting to occur... Returning military have many skills and clearance. Companies would consider this population

giving credit for training received in the military Pulling talent from talent rich areas. In Virginia there would be a waiting list for certain IT

courses. Tampa Bay workforce has a general apathy for classes. Allowing workers to telecommute Internships with a boot camp for experienced workers would give companies a chance to evaluate

workers in a low cost, non-committal fashion. Look for people that have picked up many new skills over time, and teach them IT. There was interest in internships in general, although specific companies were slow to adopt. It

will help, locally, to disseminate successful examples of corporate internships in addressing workforce problems, and get as many companies as possible to take ownership (invest in) an internship program.


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The group discussed the possible use of internships/boot camps for adults who are re-skilling. We can also consider designing apprenticeships for adults who have learned new technologies.

It was noted that internships work best when combined with an internal mentorship program – which the mentor benefits as much as the mentee.

Many companies would consider the Non- commissioned returning vet positively if they had some technical skills. The Military training would be considered in lieu of college.

Work ethic of new workers was a concern. o Many are “minute men”. They arrive at 8 am and leave at 5 and take every 15

minute break. o They are not interested in spending time learning new technologies o Need to instill in new classes the need for lifelong learning. o Companies should provide training with career path defined

Are areas that show up as only needing a high school diploma real?

Yes, many have 10 years of experience though. Military could potentially make up a large portion of this. If the person has the skill set, some companies will hire them. Self taught people are often the best, regardless of education level. Companies still largely prefer degrees.

Do you agree with the student focus group that young IT professionals need to jump from company to company to learn new skills?

Companies expect to only have workers for 2-3 years. It’s easy to get pigeon holed and stuck working on technology that is being phased out. Larger more successful companies implement in-house continuing education to keep

employees skill up to date and build loyalty. Companies should be trying to foster relationships and loyalty with employees.

Final Thought Quotes

The problems are with Tampa Bay, not with the companies. The area needs to work on education, transportation, and marketing.

There is poor branding of Tampa Bay. We can be confused with the Bay area in San Francisco

Tampa Bay lacks a cool factor, like being green. There needs to be more co-op programs to get potential workers into companies. We are known for the Buccaneers, the Lightning, and Hooters. Military is recognized as an asset and companies need to know who to incorporate into hiring

strategies Companies need to look at their process of recruiting. I’ve been here 6 months and brought

10 people to the area. We need to find out why other people have moved here, and market their reasons. Tampa Bay needs to promote itself outside of Tampa Bay. There needs to be better communication between businesses here and more opportunities for

networking. More TBTF events, more think tank opportunities and business networking opportunities in

venues that are not playing loud music. Business networking not social networking EDC’s are ambassadors for business. IDEA – send recruiting missions to Austin, Denver, NYC, Detroit, Charlotte


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worknet tampa bay it workforce analysis pdf

Documents

focus area

focus groups

pinellas findingstampa

workforce analysis team

workforce analysispublished

tomorrows workforce

focus group notes

pinellas countyappendix