Supporting Diversity to Increase Innovation: Building New Mexico’s Computer Information Systems Technician Workforce through Equity and Inclusion

美国劳工部估计，到2024年，美国将有超过100万个与计算相关的职位空缺。 它还估计，由于合格申请人数量不足，这些职位中有三分之二以上可能无人填补。解决妇女和其他少数群体在计算劳动力中代表性不足的问题将有助于缩小这一预期的就业差距。 有证据表明，由此产生的劳动力多样性的增加也可以导致工作场所生产力的提高和问题的更好解决。该项目将研究如何招聘，留住和准备妇女和少数民族学生追求计算机信息系统（CIS）的职业生涯。项目目标包括：1）为中央新墨西哥州社区学院的CIS教师提供资源，以支持和保留传统上代表性不足的CIS技术专业群体; 2）向高中生介绍CIS职业，重点是女孩和其他少数群体的学生; 3）为这些学生在中学后CIS途径中取得成功做好准备;加强高中教师对CIS职业的认识和理解。项目工作将集中在整个管道上，从高中教师和学生到大学教师和学生。 该项目旨在通过招募包括妇女在内的少数群体高中生进入独联体职业道路，并支持他们在这条道路上取得成功，扩大对独联体的参与。 该项目将利用多种方法，包括为高中生提供CIS技能研讨会，带薪实习以及提供双重入学学分的课程。 它还将培训大学教师，以更好地支持所有学生使用定制课程的教育之旅。 将开发量化工具，以监测活动对高中学生的影响。描述性统计将用于确定CIS的基线感知和学习CIS技能的信心。学生群体将随着时间的推移进行调查，以衡量态度和行为的变化，以及他们在高中毕业后追求CIS教育的意图的变化。该项目由先进技术教育计划资助，该计划侧重于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Department of Labor estimates that more than a million computing-related job openings will be available in the U.S. by 2024. It also estimates that more than two thirds of these jobs could go unfilled due to an insufficient pool of qualified applicants. Addressing the underrepresentation of women and other minoritized groups in the computing workforce will help to close this predicted employment gap. Evidence suggests that the resulting increased diversity of the workforce can also lead to increased productivity and better problem solving in the workplace. This project will investigate how to recruit, retain, and prepare women and minoritized students to pursue careers in Computer Information Systems (CIS). Project goals include: 1) providing CIS faculty at Central New Mexico Community College with resources to support and retain traditionally underrepresented groups in CIS technician majors; 2) introducing high school students to careers in CIS, with a focus on girls and students from other minoritized groups; 3) preparing these students for success in postsecondary CIS pathways; and 4) strengthening high school teachers’ knowledge and understanding of CIS careers.Project efforts will focus on the entire pipeline, from high school teachers and students to college faculty and students in the CIS program. The project intends to broaden participation in CIS by recruiting high school students from minoritized groups, including women, into CIS career pathways and supporting their success within the pathway. The project will leverage multiple approaches including providing high school students with CIS skills workshops, paid internships, and courses that provide dual enrollment credit. It will also train college faculty to better support the educational journeys of all their students using customized curriculum. Quantitative instruments will be developed to monitor the impact of activities on high school students. Descriptive statistics will be used to determine the baseline perceptions of CIS and confidence in ability to learn CIS skills. The student cohort will be surveyed over time to measure changes in attitude and behavior, as well as changes in their intention to pursue CIS education after high school. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.