Woz U

The Tech Industry Is Growing   

Tech investment represented almost 80 percent of the total venture capital investments in 2019 according to Reuters. But that 80% figure isn’t just for “traditional tech”. Instead, it’s spread across almost every major industry. It represents investments in health care tech (“health tech”), finance, real estate, and retail.

The big insight: technology-based professional opportunities will continue to grow. However, the constant generation of new ideas, all backed by venture capital, will drive an ever-changing tech landscape. Technology remains a moving target. Thus, hyper-focused school courses may be obsolete by the time today’s students are out looking for work.

Jobs in quickly evolving industries will require familiarity with technology combined with expertise in more generalizable skills. For example, in communication, creativity, and problem-solving. In fact, entirely new roles and job titles emerge all the time that upend professions and disrupt industries that have been standard for decades—making these roles, in educational parlance, “cross-curricular.” For higher institutions that invest in tech training programs, they will attract a lot of students looking for this kind of training. 

Tech Training Prepares Students for the Tech Future 

The challenge for educators is not to dismiss or keep up with students’ latest technological know-how, but to create meaningful learning experiences in which students are taught how to apply their knowledge to solve real-world problems. In reaching out to students who are so intertwined with the latest technology, you need to ask yourself, “How can we use the Internet or the computer to enhance instruction and engage students?” You need to adopt tech training programs with the capacity and depth to develop students with the skills and knowledge required by today’s companies. 

Technology allows students to work with graphic and interactive displays, viewing study material as it appears in real life. It, indeed, provides them with tools to obtain immediate results. Distance learning can be an everyday occurrence, with students communicating with each other in the same or separate classrooms or across the country and the world. Develop organizational and problem-solving skills through the use of technology and honed for use in the work world.

Managing Change 

For all its promise, digital technology provides possibilities — college and university leaders, like business officers, must manage the change in digital transformation. After managing their institution’s financial resources, chief business officers cite strategic decision-making and leading change as the most important aspects of their job.

Technology provides the tools for digital transformation. However, finding the resources to invest in technology can sometimes be difficult. Technology can empower faculty and staff to better serve students of today and tomorrow. It’s vital to invest in knowledge and skills because it’s the people — professors, advisors, bursars, housing directors, etc. — that can ensure a digital transformation leads to improved outcomes for students.

Students Will Come 

Technology is constantly advancing. This gives rise to new jobs and industries, such as coding and artificial intelligence. Technology provides a makers education in AI, IT, design, and many STEM fields. It does this through specialized programs that allow students to explore these interests. This has made most students and parents look for schools focusing on developing their learners in technology-related fields. If your institution takes time to adopt tech training programs, students will just enroll in these programs due to their high demand. 

Implement Tech Training at Higher Learning Institutions

For higher learning institutions, building tech training programs in-house is challenging. To stand out, you can partner with a know-how company that develops market-relevant programs and make the atmosphere appealing for students. 

Are you a higher education institution interested in implementing tech training programs? WOZ Enterprise apprenticeship could be all you need to put your programs on track. Contact us today to discuss options for building an apprenticeship, a train-to-hire, or a direct hire program.