The National Information Technology Innovation Center has named Sinclair Community College to its roster of schools dedicated to improving and scaling up the education of information technology courses around the country in order to meet industry demand.
Sinclair Community College has been chosen to receive the honor of becoming part of a new national center that is dedicated to both creating and scaling up the training necessary to create skilled workers in high demand fields around the country through technology fueled economic growth.
The National Information Technology Innovation Center (or NITIC) will team up with other community colleges around the nation, employers, and other invested parties to prepare students to work as highly skilled technicians through credential programs that will take no more than two years to finish. Sinclair Community College is joining Maricopa Community Colleges from Phoenix, Arizona, Lone Star College from Houston, Texas, and Collin College from McKinney, Texas, with Columbus State Community College functioning as the lead institution of the center.
The NITIC is receiving funding from the National Science Foundation as part of the foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (or ATE) program. The NITIC is the only ATE national center focused on Information Technology education. In America, there is currently a large demand for training in IT, as technician jobs in various STEM focused industries are expected to nearly double the average pace of U.S. job growth over the next decade.
In an article posted posted on Sinclair Community College’s website, Kyle Jones, who serves as Chair and Professor at the school’s Computer Science and Information Technology Department, was quoted about the school joining the NITIC, saying, “Sinclair Community College is proud to join this innovative effort which will play a crucial role in America’s tech economy. This initiative aligns with Sinclair’s mission to find the need and endeavor to meet it by providing our students with a world-class education and ensure they are well-prepared for the ever-evolving landscape of information technology. We look forward to collaborating with the NITIC partners in this endeavor and making a significant impact on the future of IT education and innovation.”
V. Celeste Carter, who serves as the director of the NSF’s ATE Program, was also quoted about the NITIC as saying, “The NITIC partner institutions bring deep experience advancing IT education outcomes within their respective regions, leveraging both NSF and other innovation funding. The launch of NITIC will support industry need for the skilled technical worker in the rapidly changing U.S. IT industry. NITIC will advance and support IT education by engaging the diverse, dynamic network of community colleges across the country.”
Major components of the NITIC will include: The creation of an Information Technology Innovation Network to determine best practices and emerging ideas to better advance the field’s technology around the country, which will then become an incubator for cutting edge curriculum; the promotion of best practices for recruitment to elevate the participation of underrepresented minorities, women, and veterans into IT careers; the development of the national Business Industry Leadership Team to develop community college curriculum in the future, with super regional to national levels of collaboration as well as employer demand, and relationship building in mind; and the syndication of training resources for instructors to address competencies in IT education both now and in future.
Sinclair Community College provides more than 20 degrees and certificates in information technology with the goal of preparing students for technical careers that are both lucrative and rewarding.
More information about Sinclair Community College can be found at the school’s website.