The continued economic competitiveness of the U.S. depends on closing the qualification gap between the knowledge and skills needed in today's technology-based workplace and the current level of workforce preparation. The globalization of wealth and competition together with the development of new technologies has produced a shift to a new economy which is based on the application of information and technology to the development of products and services.

These changes in the global economy have driven the need to redesign organizations to be less hierarchical and more information- and knowledge-based. Organizations are moving from vertical to horizontal divisions of labor with a strong emphasis on teamwork. Their focus has shifted from narrowly defined job descriptions to key functions and skill sets. Foundation knowledge and skills in the workforce have become primary ingredients to success. In this changing workplace, workers must think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively, be flexible, and demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning.

Education's Challenge

In view of the shift to an economy based on knowledge and information and the need for higher levels of skill within the workforce, education is challenged to restructure itself to prepare that new workforce. The majority of jobs created between now and the future will require some post-secondary education, yet more than half of young people leave school without the foundation skills to succeed in post-secondary settings or to secure a good job. (*Workforce 2000*)

What are Skill Standards?

Voluntary skill standards establish the agreed-upon, industry-identified knowledge, skills and abilities required to succeed in the workplace. Skill standards are benchmarks (milestones) of skill and performance attainment that are behavioral and measurable. Skill standards answer two critical questions:

• What do workers need to know and be able to do to succeed in today's workplace?
• How do we know when workers are performing well?

Pyramid Of Competencies

Tier I- the set of foundation skills (SCANS), knowledge, abilities and personal qualities required of all workers to be successful in today's workplace.

Foundation skills

• Basic skills (reading, writing, arithmetic,)
• Thinking skills
• Personal qualities

Workplace competencies

• Management of time and resources
• Interpersonal skills
• Management and use of information
• Understanding and management of systems
• Use of technology

Tier II- technical skills, knowledge and abilities - skills common to all jobs within a career cluster across all industries. Examples for IT include:

• Proficient use of software and hardware tools
• Proficient use of Internet techniques
• Understanding of hardware/system architecture
• Troubleshooting of software and hardware problems

Tier III - industry-specific technical skills, knowledge and abilities -unique to individual industries or organizations. Examples include:

• Knowledge of and compliance with company practices and organization protocols
• Understanding and effective use of industry terminology
• Knowledge of and compliance with industry legal requirements
• knowledge of and compliance with company and product standards

Why Skill Standards?

Industrialized nations that have maintained their competitiveness are characterized by a well established skill standards system. Economic competitiveness has caused US government policy makers and educators to reevaluate existing approaches and to develop new strategies for workforce development. Voluntary industry skill standards provide the framework within which US companies can maintain a competitive advantage in the global economy.

Industry skill standards support industry and education in the following ways:

• National recognition of skill standards provides a common basis for certifying achievement against those standards, thereby allowing for the portability of skills across organizations, industries and careers.
• Industry-identified skill standards serve as a vehicle for companies to communicate their performance expectations for workers, so that workers understand what is expected to perform and advance in their field.
• Voluntary skill standards enable educators to match the curriculum to workplace requirements.
• Skill standards provide workplace expectations, so students know what they need to be able to do to meet those expectations.

Skill Standards Enable...

Business partners to:	Educators to:	Students to:
Match employee skills to work needed. Assess employee skill levels based on industry standards. Improve employee satisfaction and morale by clarifying expectations. Design appropriate training programs and measure their effectiveness. Improve quality, productivity, time to market and competitiveness.	Provide students with relevant career education. Develop new and evaluate existing curriculum and programs based on industry needs. Develop benchmarks for competent student performance. Collaborate with industry using a common language. Communicate effectively about education reform to appropriate audiences.	Determine business' expectations of the skills needed for career entry. Enter and reenter the workforce into higher skilled, higher paid jobs. Improve mobility and portability of their credentials. Certify the level of competency gained through experience, school or self-study. Evaluate their skills against those required for career movement and advancement.

The IT Skill Standards Development

In 1996 and 1997, the NorthWest Center for Emerging Technologies (NWCET) and the Regional Advanced Technology Education Consortium (RATEC), in partnership with the Washington Software and Digital Media Alliance (WSDMA) and the Society for Information Management (SIM), identified skill standards in eight information technology career clusters. The project was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC). The skill standards information was published in the 1997 document: Building a Foundation for Tomorrow: Skill Standards for Information Technology. (*To order, see information at the back of this document.*)

The eight IT career clusters are:

• Database Administration Associate
• Information Systems Operator/Analyst
• Interactive Digital Media Specialist
• Network Specialist
• Programmer/Analyst
• Software Engineer
• Technical Support Representative
• Technical Writer

These career clusters were identified in close partnership with human resource representatives and managers of IT workers, as IT career areas that were represented across all industries.

Over 200 IT professionals participated in the development of the IT skill standards. The skill standards information was further validated through a survey mailed to 2,400 companies in Washington State. Companies were equally distributed between high-tech, high-information and low-information companies, and between companies in the Seattle metropolitan area and the rest of the state. The survey results compiled from 940 completed surveys originated from 748 different companies showed that there was no significant difference in what was expected of an IT worker in the different industry segments.

Skill Standards to Curriculum: A Continuous Development Process

Identification of skill standards is only the first step in a continuous process of curriculum and courseware development, articulation among various educational programs and levels, and ongoing feedback and revision to the standards.