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 ICT
industry cares deeply about ICT education. Education is
a key to
technology adoption and successful implementation – and to the
social benefits that result from deployed enabling
technologies. Exposing students in school to industry
technologies and solutions is an obviously valuable pre-sales
activity. (When those students are in responsible jobs later
in their careers, they are much more likely to buy or be open
to technologies and solutions if they understand them and have
experienced them in school.) In addition to their core
businesses, many organizations have community and social
service missions, in which they try to give back to society,
making a difference.
Currently, however, most educational programs’ model of
interaction with industry is to develop local industry
advisory groups at their school and try to engage industry
through them. This model is problematic. With due respect, not
all educators are good at that, even if they are outstanding
in every other way. It’s hard to develop and maintain industry
relationships, convince industry of the benefits of
participation, conduct meetings with the efficiency industry
is used to and demands, and realize true benefits of
collaboration. Additionally, many more rural schools do not
have immediate access to valuable industry relationships,
because appropriate industry staff is simply not local.
Industry responds that, although it cares deeply about ICT
education and wants to help, it cannot or will not send an
industry representative to advisory panel meetings at more
than 100 community colleges in California alone. It is simply
too inefficient.
 When
MPICT talks to industry, much with a local
presence in the Bay Area, we say that with
one industry-to-Center relationship industry
can influence and have a positive impact on
ICT education in more than 75 community
colleges in 4 states and the Pacific
territories. Industry almost always responds
positively.
MPICT can help build beneficial,
collaborative ICT education and industry
relationships which:
- Engage the rich ICT industry resources of the San
Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley to benefit ICT
education throughout its region, and across the U.S.
through other ATE Centers and Projects
- Speak professionally with business using language
business understands
- Provide an efficient model of engagement for industry
and education
- Leverage industry contributions to benefit a region,
rather than a single program
- Provide efficient educator access to industry
resources
- Engage industry speakers and enable them to reach
faculty and students throughout the region
- Showcase ICT technologies, trends and companies,
benefitting faculty, students and community
- Bring industry and faculty together in conferences and
professional development workshops
- Connect students to industry internship and employment
opportunities
- Positively impact the quality, volume and diversity of
the regional ICT workforce
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