Executive Director's Message
Welcome to the National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies (NWCET).

The Education Economy is expanding both in the Pacific Northwest and across the nation. It depends on a highly educated workforce, continued investment in education, and career planning viewed as lifelong learning. And the NWCET is redefining IT education—through innovative programs, student pathways, and education, business, and government alliances. As a National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education (ATE) Center, the NWCET works with partner educational institutions to help them deliver timely, accessible, and innovative solutions for Information Technology (IT) education

As the field of IT matures and becomes more pervasive, there is an increasing demand for the Center’s products and services. The US and world economies rely on technology and a technologically proficient workforce. During the 2001-2002 school year, the NWCET focused on three major initiatives in emerging areas of Information Technology (IT) education and workforce development. These three areas are—Standards, Services and Security.

Standards. In June 2002, we announced a major new agreement with the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) and the National Skill Standards Board (NSSB) to develop and promote a single system of skill standards for the IT industry. Under this agreement, CompTIA and NWCET will collaborate on joint skill standards, grant proposals to government and private sources to develop educational and workforce development tools, and web-based services to promote IT career awareness.

Services. The NWCET’s Educator-to-Educator (E2E) IT Institute is expanding its offerings through the rollout of three national faculty and teacher development programs—the Microsoft IT Academy; the American Association of Community College’s (AACC) Working Connections IT Faculty Development Institute; and the CIW IT Faculty Development Institute.

Security. The NWCET has played a pivotal role in responding to the nation’s pressing need for Cyber-Security professionals at all levels. The Center has participated in the NSF’s June 2002 Summit on Cyber-Security held in Washington DC.

The NWCET continues to provide national “thought leadership” in IT education and workforce development. Through its E-Portal to IT Education and Careers, participation on NSF National Advisory Boards and the National Research Council, conference presentations, and the authoring of several recent IT magazine articles and white papers, the NWCET maintains and enhances its leadership role in the areas of IT workforce development and rapid response to changing IT educational and industry needs. This annual report reviews how the NWCET impacts these issues and how the Center continues to evolve as the premiere provider for IT solutions for education, business, and government.

Neil Evans,
Executive Director, NWCET

Click here to read Neil's biography.