The NOVA Workforce Board—a nonprofit, federally funded employment and training agency in Silicon Valley—has kicked off a digital literacy campaign with a board-approved resolution they are encouraging other California agencies to adopt.
The action was prompted by a national initiative of workforce training and job development agencies addressing the skills gap employers are facing in both private and public sector industries.
“Foundational to our initiative is the conviction that ICT skills are increasingly required in virtually all jobs and careers, regardless of employer or industry,” said Kris Stadelman, NOVA director. “We believe that new technology requirements associated with the Affordable Care Act and other new federal programs will highlight the need for a greater digital literacy focus in government and public sector careers.”
Approved at its bi-monthly meeting on Sept. 26, the resolution promotes access by workers to jobs requiring ICT skills; opportunities for students and workers to acquire ICT skills; and development of programs that incorporate ICT training.
“Given the projection that 80 percent of U. S. jobs in the next ten years will require workers to be digitally literate, this resolution is the first step in a grass roots campaign to highlight the need for workforce boards, educational institutions and others to focus on providing workers with the skills they will need to be self-sufficient in the new economy,” Stadelman said.
The state currently has about 1.2 million ICT workers — five percent of the state total — employed in all industries. Between 2011 and 2013, state employers are projected to add 110,000 new and replacement jobs, according to a NOVA press release.
NOVA is sharing its resolution with other workforce investment boards and related agencies to focus attention on this training need and to encourage those organizations to take action. They are also identifying and educating workforce agencies in preparation for outreach to state officials, including the California Workforce Investment Board (CAWIB) and California Workforce Association (CWA).
NOVA’s digital literacy campaign is part of a broader effort, called TechLadder, to help ICT workers of all skill levels continually advance their careers. TechLadder partners include BW Research Partnership, a workforce and economic development consulting firm from Carlsbad, and The Stride Center, an Oakland-based agency that trains low-income workers for ICT careers.
Stride Center Executive Director Barrie Hathaway said that the group has a timeline for a State-level approach with this initiative, noting that the CAWIB and CWA efforts will occur early next year.
Other California organizations that have adopted a resolution such as NOVA’s include Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County and Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA). Contra Costa County was the first, adopting early this year, and SETA followed suit in the spring.
The group is also in conversations with RichmondWorks as well as several other Bay Area WIBs and intends to focus on Southern California this month, according to Hathaway.
To view the NOVA board’s resolution, visit http://novaworks.org/SpecialProjects/TechLadder.aspx.
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