The Techno-Business/Academic Consortium: Defining The Key Information Skills Matrix

Abstract

This researcher surveyed a significant representation of the Southwestern Pennsylvania regional technological corporate community to determine what information skills, services, functions and business intelligence resources are needed to meet the rapidly changing workforce environment. Two associations in this area engage the academic community in developing the regional economy. The Pittsburgh Technology Council (PTC), and the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP), in partnership with four Pittsburgh higher education entities (Robert Morris University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, and Duquesne University), play a critical role in the formulation of this study. Specific skills of a technological nature, as well as general areas of computer-related competencies, such as networking and application development are derived and surveyed. Corporations are placed in categories by size, and nature of service (such as government, health care and not-for-profit entries). A matrix is constructed that displays the key technological skills considered most necessary (essential) to continued workforce advantage. Within that framework, an analysis of which skills, functions and services are most often outsourced and which are performed in-house, complete the survey.