Author: Jennifer Chonillo
Across the nation, there is a growing need for information technology professionals. Currently, there are over 13,000 open cybersecurity positions in North Carolina and nearly 500,000 across the United States. Between 2023 and 2033, the need for information security analysts is expected to grow by 33 percent according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Why We Support Student Outreach
NCDIT is committed to promoting an inclusive and innovative workforce as outlined by our strategic plan and North Carolina’s Statewide IT Strategic Plan. This includes an emphasis on attracting, developing and retaining a skilled team. To meet the state’s needs both now and in the future, our department must continue to ensure that we have a highly skilled, highly trained pipeline of talent.
Reaching out to our state’s students allows us to introduce them to the many possibilities within the information technology field. Early exposure to computer- and technology-related careers helps students gain a realistic understanding of the opportunities available to them and learn more about the real-life work these career paths would entail.
We recognize that some students are now beginning to make career decisions as early as middle school, making it critical that they are aware of opportunities within IT and develop a passion for STEM-related subjects from a young age.
How NCDIT Ignites Passion for Tech-Related Careers
To engage the next generation of the IT workforce and ensure they have the training, education and skills to be successful and meet our state’s evolving needs, we have pursued several student outreach initiatives throughout the state.
School Visits
One priority of our department is visiting schools across North Carolina. During these visits, we meet with students to discuss the information technology field and the many different career opportunities available to them.
Our visits include meetings with student-led tech teams established by schools in partnership with the North Carolina Business Committee for Education. The student tech teams learn how to repair devices while providing technical support to their school districts.
Additionally, our department has also visited schools to deliver school supplies, give overviews of data center operations, lead hands-on cabling exercises and attend showcases put on by students using 3D technology.
NCDIT Student Tours
We also give high school students the opportunity to tour our facilities to learn about the IT field and related internship and career opportunities. As the students visit with us, they learn about how data centers work and how we monitor and address issues on the state networks and systems.
The visits have also included a hands-on cabling exercise and meetings with the staff of the N.C. 911 Board to learn about career opportunities available through 911 public safety answering points that handle 911 calls across the state.
Internship Programs
Our department hosts four paid internship programs aimed at reaching different groups of individuals, including those who may want to enter the IT field but are not planning to pursue a college degree, students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, members of the neurodiverse community and individuals pursuing tech-related college education or experience.
Interns gain real-world work experience across our different divisions and contribute to improving the lives of North Carolinians. These internships have been key to developing a passion for IT careers in their participants. One former intern stated, “this internship has ignited a deep interest in cybersecurity. I’m eager to leverage the practical insights gained here and apply them.”
Apprenticeship Programs
The department has established an apprenticeship program through ApprenticeshipNC, which is part of the North Carolina community college system. The program recruits students from the state’s community colleges and hires them into permanent, full-time roles in cybersecurity, networking and user support.
We also offer cybersecurity-specific apprenticeships to veterans and their spouses though our cyber veteran apprenticeship program managed by our Enterprise Security and Risk Management Office.
Hour of Code
NCDIT also participates in Hour of Code, a worldwide effort that celebrates computer science, works to demystify coding and seeks to broaden participation in the field by showing that everyone can learn the basics. The event occurs each December in conjunction with Computer Science Education Week.
In 2023, more than 25 members of the NCDIT team, including Secretary and State Chief Information Officer Jim Weaver, facilitated both in-person and virtual Hour of Code sessions alongside corporate partner Accenture and nine other state entities for 8,000 middle school students from 40 different schools. This year, we are planning to expand our efforts to reach more than 10,000 students across the state.
North Carolina Education Datathon
Since it began in 2022, NCDIT volunteers have provided guidance to high school and college student teams participating in the North Carolina Education Datathon sponsored by our Government Data Analytics Center in partnership with The Hunt Institute and the Office of Governor Roy Cooper. This annual competition allows student-led teams to analyze publicly available datasets and develop innovative solutions for complex education-related problems.
How Our Student Outreach Efforts Impact North Carolina
Through all these efforts, NCDIT has reached thousands of students across North Carolina from K-12 up through graduate school level. By providing opportunities for students to engage with our team members, we have allowed students to see themselves in careers they may not have considered previously. We are also helping to diversify the talent pipeline entering the IT field and providing our state’s future workforce with the skills and training they need to support North Carolina’s ongoing success.
Learn more about working for NCDIT and our educational opportunities at it.nc.gov/careers.