Monday, June 16, 2008

IBM, universities partner on next generation of IT pros

By Mass High Tech Staff

Citing a predicted shortfall of 32 million IT professionals worldwide in the next decade, IBM Corp. yesterday announced free online training resources designed to educate students about hot technologies, including those that drive Web 2.0.

The announcement came in the wake of a nationwide series of panel discussions in which IBM brought together college officials and business leaders in partnerships aimed at developing future IT professionals. IBM officials noted that businesses are increasingly going global and want employees who offer deep technical knowledge and a broad understanding of business, and can leverage their knowledge to generate new business applications. While new IT jobs will be created, the shortfall in the IT workforce between 2010 and 2020 will grow with the coming retirements of baby boomers, according to IBM.

The company announced six online resources, including a three-step tutorial on Service Science Management and Engineering (SSME), an academic discipline that combines science, engineering and business management with social and legal sciences. SSME is intended to prepare students for hybrid technology jobs that require multiple disciplines, such as environmental engineering and urban architecture planning.

Other resources focus on database technology, mashup-style applications, web servers, team-based development, enterprise systems and skill certifications.

Among the schools using the IBM resources already is Brandeis University, which is using a training video game called Innov8.