Path to Information Technology (IT) Practice: Increasing Credential Completions in IT within the Southern Tier of Virginia

It is well documented that the Information Technology (IT) workforce is chronically understaffed, and predictions show that the shortage of IT workers will reach alarming levels in a few years. The goal of this project is to increase the number of students from Southside Virginia Community College, especially those from populations currently underrepresented in the IT professions, who are ready to enter the regional IT workforce.

The project will target high school students in dual enrollment programs, as well as adult learners, employing a culturally responsive model that will increase enrollments and retention. Project goals will be attained by the deployment of a program infrastructure that incorporates a comprehensive recruitment strategy, with a specific focus on students from groups traditionally underrepresented in IT careers, coupled with academic support strategies and identity-building and self-efficacy activities to ensure student success.

The project team will study methods to increase recruitment and attainment of success in community college IT programs, especially among students traditionally underrepresented in IT careers. Increased educational attainment is positively correlated with higher standards of living, increased wages, and overall prosperity and welfare. This project has the potential to improve the understanding and implementation of culturally responsive advising for all students, but especially for those traditionally underrepresented in IT professions.

Results from this work will inform the Governor's G3 Initiative ("Get a Skill. Get a Job. Get Ahead") in Virginia, which is focused on getting credentialed students back to school to upskill for emerging technical careers.

Providing opportunities for students, specifically those who are marginalized, will help address the gap in the IT industry by increasing the number of women and underrepresented minorities obtaining credentials. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.