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Growing Techies from the Ground Up
BNH speaks with Betsy Gara, associate counsel of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA), about the organization's support for technology education.
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Business New Haven
4/3/2000
By: Tammy Rachau
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What are SB 139, 'An Act Concerning Educational Technology,' and HB 5628, 'An Act Concerning School Technology'?
Senate Bill 130 actually incorporated a number of recommendations developed by the Lt. Gov. Jodi Rell to make sure that students were graduating with strong computer skills, and that teachers had the kind of technology skills needed to incorporate educational technology into different kinds of classroom learning. For example, teachers in English would be able to use the Internet to help students research different topics and to know which sources are credible sources. The bill also targets resources to school districts to purchase hardware, computer software, and also teacher training. HB 5628 is very similar. House and Senate Democrats have also been working on proposals aimed at improving access to educational technology in the classroom. In fact, [on March 16] the education committee approved 5628, which incorporates recommendations from both proposals.
What level of education are these bills aimed at?
Primarily in the K-12 grades. There are provisions that also focus on higher education. For example, the bill would implement a standard high-speed network that would connect Connecticut's colleges, universities, libraries and elementary and secondary schools so that all of these students have state-of-the-art access to education, training and different kinds of electronic information. This will also be helpful for teachers because it would allow them to compare how curricula has been developed, how it's been implemented, best practices for incorporating technology into the classroom, as well as best practices in how to teach all kinds of things [including] math and science, which are constantly changing. So this will help teachers stay up-to-date with the best information possible. We also feel it will help schools become more efficient. Schools really haven't been moving as fast as companies, for a variety of reasons, in terms of using technology to improve the efficiency of record keeping and other kinds of data processing requirements. I think it will be helpful. For example, some schools now are e-mailing parents information on what the students' homework assignments are and how they can help the student do better in the classroom. So it has given teachers and parents an opportunity to keep in touch with what's happening with their child's academic progress.
Does CBIA support these bills?
We are supporting [them] in testimony and lobbying up at the state capital. We feel that it is very important to help schools provide computer skills to students and to help teachers gain knowledge and expertise with respect to computer skills. So we want to make sure that in addition to the academic skills that have always been important to students in pursuing higher education or going into the workplace, that they also have a certain level of proficiency with respect to computer skills. As approved by the committee, the bill also requires the state Department of Education to set standards for computer proficiency, so that we can begin to see where students are at different levels and to make sure that they graduate with strong computer skills.
Is this driven by workplace demand for technology skills?
The biggest area of job growth in Connecticut and nationally has been information technology, where there are estimates that ten percent of the jobs are going unfilled. Connecticut's IT industry includes about 4,500 businesses and employs nearly 74,000 people, according to the Connecticut Economic Quarterly. We recently did a comprehensive employer-training survey, and one of the findings was that 95 percent of large companies responding indicated that computer training was very important to their workplace. The survey also pointed out a number of other areas that highlighted the need for technology skills. For example, 95 percent of companies indicated that information technology was central to their business. The remaining five percent indicated that technology was their core business. So it is clearly reshaping today's workplaces and the job market.
Tell me about HB 5668, 'An Act Concerning Engineering & Biotech Employment Incentives.'
That bill would create scholarships for students pursuing engineering degrees, as well as a loan-forgiveness program for students that then obtain employment in Connecticut. The reason we focused on engineering was that there has been a significant decline in the number of students enrolling in engineering programs in Connecticut. In the last decade, the number of students pursuing engineering degrees declined 15 percent, despite an increase in demand from employers as well as an increase in enrollment nationally. The bill is really one component of some strategies that CBIA is pursuing to increase the supply of engineering workers to the state. Engineering has historically been a very important occupation here in Connecticut. They've been relied on to develop our communications and energy systems, to develop machinery, buildings - you name it - and engineering has been a critical component of really every sector.
What are some of the other strategies that CBIA is pursuing?
We are working with the state's Department of Higher Education to develop a plan for increasing enrollments in a variety of occupations, including engineering. We are looking at developing 'externship' programs so that teachers can go into different facilities and learn about what is happening in the workplace that they can bring back to their students. We are hoping to expand opportunities for students to intern in engineering-related fields so that they can see what opportunities are available and what the demands of the job are.
Do the three bills that we've mentioned make any provisions for funding?
The bill SB 130 did include funding. At this point, the discussion regarding funding will be part of the overall budget negotiations. The governor's proposed budget called for $30 million in funding over the next three years for school districts for the hardware, the software and the teacher training., as well as for the high speed network that would link schools and colleges and libraries. Some states have poured a lot of money into technology, and yet they did not have any comprehensive plan for targeting those resources - and, as a result, some school districts wound up with computers in their basement that they didn't need or use or know how to use. So you have to make sure that you have a plan for making good use of that money. One of the ways that the state hopes to do that is to encourage the schools to show how they are going to leverage those resources with private-sector dollars.
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