There’s No One To Teach
Computer Programming
Yelich Raises Issue At Workforce Summit
By SAM ALDRIDGE • for www.AllOTSEGO.com
COOPERSTOWN – A glaring gap in the cycle of education-to-employment was laid bare today when Oneonta Superintendent of Schools Joe Yelich pointed out to a workforce-development panel that teachers of STEM subjects, such as computer science, are nowhere to be found.
“The shortage (of programmers) starts at grade seven,” Yelich told a panel at the Mohawk Valley Region Small Business/Workforce Development Summit at The Otesaga. He was expanding on a comment made by another member of the audience speaking about the dearth of applicants to programming positions.
The sentiment was echoed by two panelists, Joseph Booan, ONC BOCES director of student programs, and Robert Geer, SUNY Polytechnic senior vice president and COO. With so much money to be made working for tech sector giants like Facebook and Google, finding educators at the local level is no easy task.
The summit, organized by the State of New York and the Otsego Chamber of Commerce, brought together leaders in business and education at The Otesaga to discuss a topic of great mutual concern: how to develop and expand the local workforce. Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul was the luncheon speaker.
Focusing primarily on jobs in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), the summit included by a panel of education administrators who shared strategies for navigating the constant changes of the job market.
A trope expressed by all the speakers, who represented BOCES, and regional SUNY and community colleges, was the practice of creating certification programs at the level of both high school and college. For this, collaboration with area businesses is imperative: What skills must students possess, and how can they best be taught?
Geer went on to suggest solutions to the problem of properly educating students for STEM fields. While creating ever newer certification programs is one avenue, another, more traditional one, may be as valuable: encouraging apprenticeship-like programs to give students hands-on experience.
Booan also suggested broadening the current range of instruction to encapsulate the variety of jobs and positions available, citing the success of BOCES New Vision’s program in area hospitals for high school students.