Commerce Launches Web Survey on Information Technology Education and Training Programs

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Commerce's Technology Administration unveiled today an online survey (OMB No. 0692-0008 - Expires 01-31-2002) (www.ta.doc.gov/ittraining) to gather views and experiences of people across the nation on high-tech training programs. The survey will solicit the opinions of employers, information technology (IT) workers, educators, trainers, and representatives of state and local government agencies and public-private partnerships working to address the nation's demand for IT workers. This survey poses a unique set of questions for comment by each of these stakeholder groups.

The American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act requires the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a study and prepare a report to Congress on existing public and private high-tech workforce training programs in the United States. The insights gathered through this on-line survey will contribute to the Department's analysis.

The survey questions are also posted in a request for comments published in today's edition of the Federal Register, which provides additional background information about the study and report, and offers alternative mechanisms for providing responses to the questions.

This study and report will focus on the education and training paths and programs through which Americans prepare for these jobs and maintain the skills needed in an ever-changing information technology environment. Specifically, this study will address: the demand for IT workers in terms of education and skills requirements, the employer role in IT worker training, types of IT education and training programs available, program model strengths and weaknesses, and key elements of successful programs in providing IT workers their skills.

The purpose of the endeavor is to provide information useful to a broad range of stakeholders -- government policy makers, education and training providers, employers, and IT workers -- as they develop, improve, or seek to participate in IT education and training programs. This effort will build on the Technology Administration's 1999 report The Digital Work Force: Building Infotech Skills at the Speed of Innovation, which can be downloaded at www.ta.doc.gov/reports/techpolicy/digital.pdf.