Page 38 - The Edge - Winter 2017

CRONKITE NEWS CONTRIBUTING ARTICLE

BY ALLY CARR
How to meet demand for tech-related

jobs – get students interested in art

When you imagine what a class at Phoenix Coding Academy might look Some jobs, like so ware development, can take longer to ll than others
like, maybe you think of students staring at endless rows of characters and because these developers tend to already have a good job, she said. It is also
symbols on computer screens. di cult for candidates to stay competitive, since technology changes so
And sure, sometimes that happens. But you’re just as likely to nd rapidly potential employees need to keep up with so ware, apps or tools that
students hunched over their desks with colored pencils and markers in their may have only existed for a month.
hands. “Demand and supply take time to equalize,” said Ashish Amresh, assistant
On a recent school day, students pushed their laptops to the center of their professor of computer science at Arizona State University. “ ere’s de nitely
desk, clearing the space to work on a di erent kind of assignment: Design the sentiment that we’re not producing enough computer scientists, so ware
their own album cover. engineers or information technologists on our own in this country.”
At the academy, the newest school in the Phoenix Union High School In 2015, there were 6,300 more people employed in computer and
District, administrators put just as much emphasis on art as they do on technology jobs in Arizona than the previous year, according to data from
engineering. the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now, there are nearly 10,000 open computing
“Art is essential,” Principal Seth Beute said. “Creativity is really important jobs in Arizona, which is 2.8 times the state’s average demand rate for job,
in computer science and problem solving. When you think about building according to data from Code.org. On top of that, Arizona produced fewer
new apps, new programs, new industries altogether – we know the students than 500 computer science graduates in 2014, but that trend may not hold.
are going to be working on something we’ve not even heard of yet.” ere are several organizations that plan to help close the gap.
Phoenix Coding Academy opened its doors in August to prepare Grand Canyon University is working with the Science Foundation
students to enter college or the work force with the skills they need succeed, Arizona and Code.org to train elementary school teachers how to teach the
no matter what career path they choose, administrators said. e rst class basics of computer science to their students using Code.org curriculum.
has 90 students who will graduate knowing how to build apps, collaborate in A new advanced placement course in computer science principles was
teams, develop video games and program robotic arms. launched this school year for high school students, according to the College
Computer science related jobs, like programming, coding, network Board. e groups will o er additional training for AP high school and
security and so ware engineering, are on the rise in Arizona, according to middle school teachers as well.
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, yet industry recruiters say there aren’t enough Other computer science educational opportunities include Game
quali ed workers to ll all the open positions. is school is one of a few ways Camp, a summer program at ASU for middle and high school students
Arizona groups are addressing this shortage by getting students interested in to design video games. Amresh, who thinks everyone needs to learn basic
the eld early. programming and computing skills, founded the camp.
“Computer science is extremely important,” Beute said. “When we “ at’s really important in the society we live in,” Amresh said. “You
look around and see all the technology and the advancements related with don’t have to pursue a career in computer science to know a little bit about
technology, there will continue to be openings in the industry and a lot of computing because no matter what eld you’re in, understanding how
opportunities. Some will require college and some won’t, that’s just the reality technology works, how programming and so ware interplay, that is an
of this eld, so we want all of our students to be college ready and career ready essential 21st century skill. It’s almost as important as knowing a second
so they’ll have options.” language.”
ose career options don’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon. Back in the art class at Phoenix Coding Academy, students at one table
Computer and information technology jobs are the fastest growing job eld draw and joke with one another. No matter what career students pursue,
in the U.S., projected to add nearly half a million jobs to the market by 2024, understanding computers and working in teams are essential skills principal
according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Arizona in particular has seen a Beute wants them to learn. One student wants to use what he learns to solve
lot of this growth. some of the mysteries of the universe.
Many technology companies are moving to Arizona because of the “I want to go into physics … speci cally astrophysics,” said Michael
available real estate and incentives from the state of Arizona, said Donna Colonica, a freshman student. “I enjoy looking at the stars, and I think space
Dietrich, the divisional managing partner at Arizona Tech Finders, a is just an interesting place with many question marks everywhere.”
technology sta ng rm. Fi een minutes later, class lets out and the halls reverberate with loud
Finding the talent to ll all those new jobs can be challenging. chatter. e students have a few minutes to decompress before heading to
“ e best of the best are typically gainfully employed,” Dietrich said. their next class.
“We do have people who are obviously applying for roles, but the demand In an empty classroom upstairs, 3-D printers and a robotic arm wait for
is higher, the supply is less. It hasn’t kept up with the rate of … people they students to learn how to program them and bring them to life.
need in technology.”

38 THE EDGE WINTER 2017
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