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.