2014 Fall Conference Previews
It is a great privilege to be involved with so many different, high-quality conferences each year. The opportunities to share information, meet new people and have really great discussions on different topics relating to IT education, are some of the many reasons we participate in these events.
This fall will be busy for us as we travel to Orlando, Florida for the NCPN conference, Washington D.C. for the ATE PI conference, then its back to Frisco, TX for the TXCC Technology Forum, and over to Denver, CO for STEMtech.
If you are planning to attend any of these conferences, we hope that you will join us for one of our sessions, or stop by our booth and say hi!
NCPN – October 12-14, 2014
Business Should Lead, Not Just Advise, Workforce Programs
Tuesday, 10/14 – 8:15 – 9:00, Scribe Room at Buena Vista Palace
Aligning technology programs with business needs is challenging, but building effective business partnerships can build strong pathways to success. Participants will learn how to build solid relationships with businesses from practices established by an NSF national center, including skills validation, virtual internships, and business panel review of student case studies. Ann Beheler, Helen Sullivan, Convergence Technology Center, Frisco, TX
ATE PI – October 22-24, 2014
What Really Works? Views on Successful Hiring from Employers and New Employees
Wednesday, 10/22 – 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Palladian
This session will feature employer/new employee (student) pairings who will discuss the entire hiring process from their respective viewpoints. Topics will include what really matters in an effective resume, effective interviewing strategies, important technical competencies and certifications, and other job-specific requirements. In this interactive workshop, attendees will also have the opportunity to critique, review, and discuss sample resumes and interview scenarios in small groups with input from the employer/new employee presenters.
Opening Session
Wednesday, 10/22 – 6:00 – 7:15 p.m. Regency Ballroom
Showcase Session 1 – CTC Booth
Wednesday, 10/22 – 7:30 – 9:45 p.m. Exhibit Hall
Leveraging NSF’s ATE Program – Additional Opportunities for Federal Funding, Collaboration, and Resources
Thursday, 10/23 – 10:30 – 11:45 a.m. Palladian
This panel discussion will focus on understanding and leveraging funding streams from two or more Federal funding programs including NSF’s ATE program, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program, and the Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship program. Join Federal representatives as they discuss ways to facilitate collaboration, partnerships, and the sharing of resources across programs to benefit STEM technician education and workforce development.
Strategies to Align Program Offerings with Local Labor Market Needs
Thursday, 10/23 – 2:30 – 3:45 p.m. Empire Room
The technological job skill needs of business and industry are continually evolving, which presents a challenge to educators and students attempting to focus on the right skills to meet these changing needs. If colleges want to attract more students and place them in jobs, there must be better alignment between program offerings and local labor market needs. In this workshop, participants will learn new strategies to monitor current skill requirements in the workforce.
Leveraging NSF ATE with the U.S. Department of Labor’s TAACCCT Program
Thursday, 10/23 – 2:30 – 3:45 p.m. Diplomat
This session continues the dialogue started in the Thursday morning concurrent session on leveraging NSF’s ATE program with the Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program. ATE PIs from Collin College in Frisco, TX, and Moraine Valley Community College, Palos Hills, IL, will discuss how they leveraged their ATE centers with being members of the Round 1 DOL TAACCCT National Information, Security, and Geospatial Technologies Consortium. Their work has provided innovative curricular and supportive programs for students, which has resulted in increased enrollments, completions, and job placements. Specific examples of innovative programs that would not have been possible without such leveraging will be shared.
Leveraging NSF ATE with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship Program
Thursday, 10/23 – 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Diplomat
This session continues the dialogue started in the Thursday morning concurrent session on leveraging NSF’s ATE program with DOL’s Registered Apprenticeship program. ATE PIs from Tidewater Community College, VA and Community College of Baltimore County, MD will discuss how they leveraged their ATE centers by implementing Registered Apprenticeship programs to accelerate learning and provide augmented programs for their students. Specific examples of advances and innovations will be shared.
TXCC Technology Forum – November 7, 2014
Is Teaching Cloud Computing in Your Future?
10:15 a.m.
“Cloud computing” is no longer just a buzzword, and we need to be teaching this to our students. Surveys show that many large companies are now utilizing cloud services. The next generation of IT technicians will need to be trained in cloud technologies. This presentation will provide a glimpse into the new cloud computing curriculum being developed by the Convergence Technology Center. This session will cover the basics of cloud computing, deployment and service models, provisioning and scalability, storage, virtualization and security. The session will conclude with a discussion of industry certifications and how they can be integrated into your IT curriculum.
Lunch Keynote: Business Partnerships Promote Student Success
noon
A strong relationship with business and industry is an important element for any successful program, whether it’s developing an engaged leadership team, cultivating a group of internship hosts or connecting qualified graduates with companies looking to hire. This lunch program will explore one facet to these mutually beneficial relationships at Collin College.
Easing the Rocky Road the a Bachelor Degree for IT Students
1:30 p.m.
Students can face many stumbling blocks to completing the bachelor degree following associate or certificate programs. One such roadblock, is the lack of transfer pathways for students’ hard-earned technology class credits. The University of North Texas, a partner in the National Convergence Technology Center, has mitigated some of these stumbling blocks through it BA in Information Technology (BAIT) Program. In this session, attendees will learn how BAIT can ease student transfer woes, as well as how the program works with other colleges and universities to help them to implement similar models within their own institution.
A Summary of Open Source Cloud Technology
2:45 p.m.
Open source technology is being used for the development of private and public clouds. This session will feature a brief summary on the basic design of major components, with highlights on their main characteristics and architecture. Attendees will learn about open source clouds such as Open Stack, Eucalyptus, Nimbus and OpenNebula.
STEMtech – November 9-12, 2014
Identifying Skills Required by Businesses Successfully Leads to Student Hiring
Tuesday, 11/11 – 12:45 – 1:45 p.m. – Quartz AB, Third Level, #246
Attendees will learn how a one-day process working with businesses to identify required job skills will boost a student’s success rate in getting a high paying entry level position.
The Hiring Process: A Student and Employer’s View
Tuesday 11/11 – 3:15 – 4:15 p.m. – Quartz AB, Third Level, #247
The National Convergence Technology Center will provide an inside look into the hiring process from a recent graduate’s and employer’s perspective. Participants will take away strategies to share with students.
Students Can Beef Up Portfolios With Virtual Internships
Wednesday, 11/12 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. – Mineral G, Third Level, #277
This session will share case studies and processes of virtual internships in which students do not have to give up job responsibilities in order to gain an internship portfolio.