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Area companies seek experienced workers to fill growing needs
By Paula Schleis
Beacon Journal business writer
Published on Saturday, Mar 08, 2008
Northeast Ohio companies say they can't find enough information technology professionals.
Graduates of local IT programs say they can't find jobs.
What's going on?
A new analysis says a disconnect between businesses and academic institutions is standing in the way of regional economic growth.
About 12,000 IT positions will need to be filled in the next few years, according to the Northeast Ohio Information Technology Workforce report.
To solve the shortage, which threatens to limit expansion of local high-tech companies, businesses that shy away from hiring inexperienced help need to offer more opportunities to college graduates.
The topic was explored because the field, which declined after the tech stocks crash of 2001, appears to be back with a vengeance.
Researchers found that half of all companies are looking for IT people. One estimate says that adds up to more than 7,000
openings.
But in most cases, only experienced professionals need apply.
Rather than turning to new talent, companies tend to raid each other, contributing to high turnover rates and an increase in the use of temporary workers to meet their needs.
Meanwhile, recent graduates say they're frustrated with prospective employers demanding three to seven years of experience, and universities say they have had to increase their efforts to help graduates find jobs.
''In fact, most IT graduates did not believe there were gaps between supply and demand within this region because their job search processes were so difficult,'' said the report, compiled by Cleveland State University for the economic development group called NorTech.
Northeast Ohio universities graduate about 1,300 IT students a year, most coming out of Kent State University and the University of Akron.
Enrollment in IT programs has fallen from nearly 22,000 in the year before the ''dot com bust'' of 2001 to about 9,000 last school year.
Many people were dissuaded from pursuing IT as a career as the demand slumped, according to Paul Chaffee, president of Software Answers, an Akron K-12 software application provider. The company, founded in 1994, employs 37 people.
The trend started reversing itself in about 2004 and the demand has been climbing ever since, said Chaffee, who's in the market for two experienced ''dot-net'' developers himself.
Phil Alexander, chairman of the Northeast Ohio Software Association, said he believes there are enough larger companies offering work-training programs for current grads who want to remain here.
But, he added, the region needs three to four times the number of current grads to fill its needs now and in the future.
That begs the question: If companies are demanding experience, where will those graduates find employment? The NorTech report found that only 20 percent of Northeast Ohio employers offered any work-based learning experience in 2006.
John Grimm, of a company called Knotice, said that until the academic and business sides balance out, new grads might need to leave the area to get experience, and hopefully come back when they've got it.
Some of this region's IT needs are being created by new and young companies like his, an Akron marketing communications service. Knotice has 18 people in IT positions.
''We've been growing for the past three years and we've needed IT people and it has not been an easy slope to climb in Northeast Ohio,'' Grimm said.
But training an inexperienced employee is an investment that new and small companies can ill afford.
While Knotice has an internship program, permanent jobs need to be filled ''by someone who can come in the door and hit the ground running,'' Grimm said.
Alexander remains hopeful that as universities turn out more graduates, local companies will rise to the challenge of providing work experience.
''Now that we have the study in our hands and we know what we need to do, we can create a road map,'' Alexander said.
Attitudes will have to change, if the NorTech report is any indication. Only 16 percent of companies expressed willingness to join in creating programs for entry-level employees.
Software Answers is in that minority.
It takes about six months to bring a new grad up to speed within the company, but that's still cheaper than paying relocation expenses, recruiting fees and higher salaries for a veteran, Chaffee said.
''We very much cherish our relationship with the University of Akron in recruiting people into our organization,'' he added.
Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com.
Northeast Ohio companies say they can't find enough information technology professionals.
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