In order to compete internationally, U.S. companies must close the qualification gap between the knowledge and skills needed in today's technology-based workplace and the current level of preparation of the workforce. Voluntary skill standards that are industry-based and can be transformed into educational curriculum will better prepare technology workers for the workplace of today and tomorrow.

As a step toward accomplishing this goal, the NorthWest Center for Emerging Technologies (NWCET) and the Regional Advanced Technology Education consortium (RATEC) identified skill standards for information technology career clusters which have been compiled in a 228 page document entitled Building a Foundation for Tomorrow: Skill Standards for Information Technology. The career clusters indentified are: Database Administration Associate, Information Systems Operator/Analyst, Interactive Digital Media Specialist, Network Specialist, Programmer/Analyst, Software Engineer, Technical Support Representative, and Technical Writer

This web site describes some elements of the document. The full document may be obtained by filling out and mailing a form, with payment.

For more information on skill standards, please see the National Skill Standards Board Web site.