(2017-06-28) Tech Job Emphasizes Skills Not A College Degree

A New Kind of Tech Job Emphasizes Skills, Not a College Degree

Mr. Bridges represents a new but promising category in the American Labor Market: people working in so-called New-collar or Middle-skill jobs. As the United States struggles with how to match good jobs to the two-thirds of adults who do not have a four-year college degree, his experience shows how a worker’s skills can be emphasized over traditional hiring filters like college degrees, work history and personal references. And elevating skills over pedigree creates new pathways to employment and tailored training and a gateway to the Middle Class.

These jobs have taken off in tech for two main reasons. For one, computing skills tend to be well defined (Legibility). Writing code, for example, is a specific task, and success or failure can be tested and measured. At the same time, the demand for tech skills is surging.

On Wednesday, the approach received a strong corporate endorsement from Microsoft, which announced a grant of more than $25 million to help Skillful, a program to foster skills-oriented hiring, training and education. The initiative, led by the Markle Foundation, began last year in Colorado, and Microsoft’s grant will be used to expand it there and move it into other states.

Researchers at LinkedIn create an annual ranking of the skills most in demand. The most sought-after skills in the United States in 2016 were all tied to technology. In addition to those so-called hard skills, job retraining efforts often include the development of soft skills

One tech project that has expanded rapidly is TechHire, which was created in 2015 and is the flagship program of Opportunity@Work, a nonprofit social enterprise. TechHire provides grants and expertise to train workers around the country and link them to jobs by nurturing local networks of job seekers, trainers and companies.

TechHire’s mission is partly to chip away at “the cultural hegemony of the bachelor’s degree,” said Byron Auguste, president of Opportunity@Work. (Credentialism)

solicited applicants and advised and shared best practices with Interapt, a software development and consulting company

After four months of taking all-day classes on the basics of writing software and two months of working in an internship alongside Interapt developers, Ms. Clark was hired by Interapt in May. As a member of the team that performs software quality assurance and testing, she is now paid more than $40,000 a year, about double what she made at Pizza Hut.

In Colorado, Skillful is working to improve the flow of useful information among job seekers, employers, educators, governments and local training groups. The organization focuses on jobs in tech, health care and advanced manufacturing

Ninety companies have worked with Skillful’s staff and partners to refine and clarify their descriptions of skills. That data has contributed to an online “training finder” tool — built by researchers at LinkedIn — that shows salary ranges, skills required, training programs and nearby openings for different occupations. (Microsoft acquired LinkedIn, a Skillful partner, last year.)

At his local community college, Skillful representatives offered tips on job searches, résumé preparation, financial support and networking

In Rocket Center, where rocket engines were once built and some composite materials for American fighter jets are manufactured today, IBM occupies a few buildings and employs 350 people, including Mr. Bridges. They are working on cloud computing, cybersecurity, application development and help desks

In the last two years, nearly a third of IBM’s new hires there and in a few other locations have not had four-year college degrees. IBM has jointly developed curriculums with the local Community College, as well as one-year and two-year courses aligned with the company’s hiring needs.