NWCET

The 21^st century workplace differs greatly from that of the last century. Advances in technology alone have meant that the workplace will never be the same again. This article will address some of the top workplace tends for 2012.

You may or may not see these trends in your workplace, especially if you are in the same job you’ve been in for some time. However, experts agree that technology, the economy and demographics have definitely changed how we get things done in the workplace.

Telecommuting

In this wonderful age of technology, many companies are recognizing the need to be flexible and so are allowing employees to work from home using their own computers. Benefits to the company include a reduced need for expensive office space, pay rise offset and a happier workforce. Some people work from home part-time and go into the office part time; others work from home full time. The workers save time and money commuting and often achieve more work without the interruptions of a busy office. Telecommuting especially suits mother of young children who want to keep working through their children’s early years as well as those looking to return to the workforce.

Independent Contractors

Many companies are out-sourcing some of their work in an effort to reduce the costs associated with employing staff. Workers are choosing to become an independent contractor to take back some control over their time and workload. Many leave a full-time position with a company and are then hired back as a contractor to do the same job.

Flexible Working Hours

Employers are offering the convenience of flexible working hours to attract and retain quality skilled staff. Many people want to determine their own working hours to suit commuting distances, family commitments and recreational pursuits. Employers are finding that their workforce is more content and therefore more productive, when employees can decide when they will start and finish work.

Mobile and Own Devices

More companies are expecting employees to provide their own laptop computers, tablets and smart phones for use at work. The benefit to the company is obvious – reduced capital expenditure. The benefit to the employee is that they can take their own mobile device to and from work, extending their working hours without having to actually be in the office. This trend even has a name; it’s called ‘bring your own device’.

Corporate Cultures

Employees are asking for more than a pay rise and extra benefits from their bosses. The culture of corporations has become more inclusive of workers’ interests and the needs of the local community. Workers may be encouraged to do community work during office hours, to participate in fundraising or volunteer at a local charity.

Open Plan Offices

The traditional office configuration of cubicles, corner offices and closed, walled spaces are disappearing and being replaced by more open-plan work areas. Shared workstations are becoming popular; communal spaces being included and areas for group discussions and participation are being planned. The workplace is becoming a more inclusive community environment.

Communication

Email is being replaced by other, faster forms of communication in the workforce. Texting and social media are quickly replacing the email as a means of inter- and intra-office communication.

Look for these 2012 workplace trends in your company. If they are not already present, consider being the one to initiate the changes.

This year, NWCET celebrates its 12th anniversary as a national leader in IT education and workforce development. Over these past 12 years, NWCET has completed a number of education and technology projects and grants, and has developed several nationally recognized products and services including: IT Skill Standards, Standards Based Curriculum Applications, IT Program Design and Implementation, National IT Faculty Development Outreach, and IT and Technology Horizon Research. NWCET is affiliated and co-located with the Washington State Center for Information Technology Excellence (CITE), a statewide resource for community and technical colleges, the K-20 educational system, and the information technology (IT) industry.

We serve Faculty, Educational Institutions, Business and Industry, Students, and Counselors as well and Government in areas related to education and technology infusion. Download NWCET’s brochure.

Events Archive
The Annual IT Futures Education Summit: Friday, May 29th at Microsoft
“Redefining IT/CS/BT Programs for 21st Century Industry & Students”
The 2009 Washington State IT Futures Education Summit was held Friday, May 29th, 2009, at the Microsoft Corporate Conference Center. Technical and workforce development instructors across our state discovered new and innovative ways to improve IT education. This one-day free event featured several industry and education speakers in various disciplines of IT that shared the impacts, challenges, growth and demands of technology.

This year’s panel presentation and question/answer session explored: “Keeping WA State IT & CS CTC Programs Current and Relevant to Meet Changing Industry Needs”. Panelists included CTC faculty and administrators who have experienced first-hand reviewing, refreshing, redefining and creating IT/CS/BT programs on their campuses.

Benefits of attending:
Learn about current upcoming technical skills sought by businesses.
Focus on integration of new technologies and strategies for classroom learning.
Choose a break-out session with industry and faculty co-presenters for a specific area of interest.
Network with other instructors to build a community amongst our institutions.
This year’s key note speaker was Jim LeValley, Group Product Manager for the Academic Segment, Microsoft Learning at Microsoft Corporation. Mr. LeValley spoke about “Job Market Outlook for IT Professionals.”

Session titles are below. Included within the day’s activities were drawings for great giveaways (books, seats to the 2009 Working Connections IT Faculty Development Institute, and more)!

Agenda

8:00 – 8:30 AM Check-in & Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 9:30 AM General Session
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Paul Boyum, Vice President of Workforce, Bellevue College
Sandra Mikolaski, Associate Director, NWCET
Keynote Speaker – Jim LeValley, Global Education Programs Director, Microsoft Learning at
Microsoft Corporation
Presentation Topic: “Job Market Outlook for IT Professionals”
9:30 – 9:45 AM Networking Break

9:45 – 10:45 AM Session #1 Presentations
Cascade Auditorium: How to Refresh Your IT Program –
Alan Carter, Green River Community College & Jeff Johnson, Academy Manager, Microsoft
St. Helens: Visual Studio 2010 – Jason Olsen, Technical Evangelist, Microsoft
Rainier: Elluminate Your Classes – Mary Corcoran, Bellevue College

10:45 – 11:45 AM Session #2 Presentations
Cascade Solar Auditorium: Windows Server 2008 RC2 –
Ward Ralston, Group Product Manager, Microsoft & Melissa Dehaan, Columbia Basin College
St. Helens: Cloud Computing and Windows Azure – Ryan Dunn, Senior Technical Analyst, Microsoft
Rainier: Adobe Creative Suite – Ron Austin, Bellevue College

11:45AM – 1:00 PM Lunch & Roundtable Discussions
Cascade Auditorium: “So What Does a Green IT Job Look Like?” –
facilitated by Michele Royer & Agnes Figueroa-Martinez, Bellevue College
St. Helens: “Learn about the new Microsoft Technical Achievement Certifications:
What they are and how you can use them.” – facilitated by Jeff Koch, Sr. Product Manager of Certifications,
Microsoft Learning
Rainier: Microsoft Project

1:00 – 2:00 PM Session #3 Presentations
Cascade Auditorium: Advanced Office 2007: Sharepoint – “Why Employers Want Your Students to Know It” –
Steve Fox, Senior Technical Evangelist, Microsoft & Mary Corcoran, Bellevue College
St. Helens: Windows 7 – Stephen Rose, Senior Community Manager, Windows OS & Melissa Dehaan,
Columbia Solar Basin College
Rainier: Camtasia Studio, Snagit, & Jing Project: Creating Rich Media for Your Students, Jean Kent

2:00 – 2:15 PM Networking Break – West Hall

2:15 – 3:15 PM Aligning Your IT/CS Program to Industry Needs – Cascade Auditorium
Moderated by Marcia Williams, Bellevue College
Alan Carter, Green River Community College; Mary Corcoran, Bellevue College; Steve Hailey, Edmonds Community College; Mike Kelley, Grays Harbor Community College; Clyde Rasmussen, Big Bend Community College

3:15 – 3:30 PM Closing Remarks and Giveaways – Auditorium TBD
Kelley Beverly, Academic Program Manager, Microsoft Learning, Microsoft Corporation
Maureen Majury, Senior Program Manager, NWCET, Director for Center for IT Excellence

Please note: Program is subject to change.

Special thanks to Microsoft Learning, Microsoft IT Academy Program, the Microsoft Conference Center, Wiley Publishing Prometric, the Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges, Washington State Working Connections IT Faculty Development Institute, and the League for Innovation in the Community College for support of this year’s Summit.

Third Annual Careers in IT: The Real Story – Wednesday, April 29, 2009 (Free Event!)

Are your students curious about Information Technology (IT) or do they think IT is only for geeks? Do they think offshore outsourcing has eliminated all high paying technology jobs in the United States? Do your students believe they don’t have the computer skills, technical competence or aptitude to do well in the information technology sector? Tell them to think again!!!

There were drawinsg for exciting prizes!

Event Details:
Bellevue College, N201, N-Building
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
8:30AM – 9:30AM (Check-in, Light refreshments and networking)
9:30AM – 11:30AM (Program)
11:30AM – 12:00PM (Lunch provided)

2007 IT Summit presentations and related materials are available below
Keynote Speaker
Daniel Rasmus, Director of Information Work Vision, Microsoft:

Session Presenters
Corinne Hoisington, Central Virginia Community College (IT professor and author)
Everything Just Changed: Office 2007

Dr. Mark Minie, Affiliate Instructor, Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, University of Washington

Dr. Michele Royer, NWCET, Bellevue College

Watch the videos from the 2007 IT Education Futures Summit.
Keynote speaker, Daniel Rasmus, Director of Information Work Vision, Microsoft

IT Employer & Hiring Panel Discussion

Workforce Education Council/Continuing Education Council Presentations – February 8, 2007

For the plantar fasciitis tech class please contact it will start on Jan 4th, 2009.

The Center of Excellence and National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies (NWCET) were honored to present data on the “Future IT Workforce & Trends in IT Education and Careers” (Jerry Bunce, Boeing, and Michele Royer, NWCET) at the statewide WEC/CEC meeting February 8th at Bates College in Tacoma. The informative presentations are available for download here: Jerry’s presentation, Michele’s presentation.
You can also link to a podcast of the program, (click on right-hand menu) including a brief introduction of the event and speakers by former Center of Excellence director Jeff Johnson.
The podcast was produced by Greg Marshall of Whatcom College. The February 8 event was attended by over 100 representatives from thirty-four community and technical colleges. Thanks to Jerry and Michele for their excellent insights, detailed presentations, and IT workforce and education information shared with the group on behalf of the Center of Excellence.

Future Potential in IT Event – February 18, 2007
Videos of the Future Potential in IT are now available for viewing. ‘Major Nelson’ (Larry Hryb) the Director of Programming for Microsoft’s Xbox Live: Windows media, Real player. Larry discusses the development process of the Xbox and gaming. Joel Chaplin of Infospace, Inc. was the keynote speaker, and speaks on his experiences in the IT industry: Windows media, Real player. The industry panel, with eight computing and IT professionals, discuss why students should consider “looking for a great major” in IT: Windows media, Real player.
Any questions, contact us at cite@bellevuecollege.edu or 425-564-4215.

NWCET presented a podcasting workshop in partnership with Apple in November 2005. To listen to the workshop click here.

NWCET is a division of Bellevue College, and is partially funded by National Science Foundation grants.