20 regions part of Obama plan to boost high-tech training

Jamie McGee | The Tennessean

NASHVILLE — President Barack Obama rolled out an initiative Monday aimed at building a larger technology workforce, and more than 20 regions across the USA will be part of it.

The program, called TechHire, will bring together city leaders and employers to address the need for more software developers, cybersecurity experts and information technology engineers.

"It's us working together as a community to help solve and address the talent gap problem," said Chief Executive Bryan Huddleston of the Nashville Technology Council, who came to the nation's capital for the announcement of the program to the National League of Cities and a reception at the White House.

Nationally, tech-related fields have an estimated 500,000 job openings, including 1,300 in Middle Tennessee last year even though the area has added 2,200 technology employees in the same period.

"Even though we've grown, there is still a big need to fill the positions," Huddleston said.

But wages in other fields remain stubbornly stagnant, and the average salary for workers with high-tech skills is 50% higher than the average private-sector U.S. job, according to the White House.

The administration's plan is for universities and community colleges to provide training but also to rely on high-tech educational academies, some of which have entered into arrangements with cities to train workers in a matter of months and then help place them in jobs. The training academies undergo independent studies to confirm the rate of job placements.

Technology programs at Middle Tennessee community colleges are below capacity and graduation rates hover at close to 20%, according to the Nashville Technology Council.

"(We are) letting students know, or someone who is a displaced worker know, there is a great career in technology, and you don't have to have a Ph.D. to get it," Huddleston said.

Under the plan, the federal government would provide as-of-yet unspecified federal assistance to help local governments leverage training for high-tech workers.

"It's not just a matter of talent moving to Nashville," said Cal Evans, a Nashville software developer. "We are seeing more interest in the development of local talent."

The unemployment rate in February dropped to 5.5% but average hourly earnings rose just 3 cents to $24.78 from January. Raising wages has become one of the biggest challenges of the current economic recovery.

"Helping more Americans train and connect to these jobs is a key element of the president's middle-class economics agenda," said Jennifer Friedman, White House deputy press secretary.

Contributing: The Associated Press

TechHire communities

• Albuquerque

• Chattanooga

• Denver and the state of Colorado

• Detroit

• Kansas City, Mo.

• Kearney and Buffalo County, Neb.

• London, Ky., and rural eastern Kentucky

• Los Angeles

• Louisville, Ky.

• Memphis

• Minneapolis

• Nashville

• New York City

• Philadelphia

• Portland, Ore.

• Rochester, N.Y.

• St. Louis

• Salt Lake City

• San Antonio

• San Francisco

• Wilmington and the state of Delaware

Source: White House Press Office