Leadership through Advocacy and Organizing to Promote the Web Profession and Jobs in New Media and IT
Greetings WOW Members and Web Professionals Everywhere!
Web professionals working together can make change happen. For example, when education policies don’t meet the needs of aspiring and practicing Web professionals we work to change the system. With your support, the Webprofessionals.org has continued with its 14 year history and mission to engage education policy decision makers to encourage them to improve Web professional pathways and to change the policies that hold them back. While building leadership through advocacy and organizing we strengthen our voice to improve the overall Web experience for the communities we serve.
Why is this important?
* To continue with the mission of cultivating innovation and jobs for the Web profession.
* Industry, government and academia, together, can cultivate an environment of innovation and job creation to foster leadership in Information Technology and New Media.
* By educating customers we serve we can ensure the professions overall success.
* Facilitation of communication between business, industry and education professionals advocacy can lead to improvements in compensation and recognition for Web professionals.
* Active involvement by WOW members and individuals like you is needed. Together we make the vision of Web Standards, improvements in education and the quality of services that true Web professionals provide a reality.
2011/2012 Advocacy Plan to Promote Education and Careers
Last month, WebProfessionals.org led the third in a series of IT Innovation Summits in California. Leading Information Technology (IT) organizations, businesses, industry and education professionals came together to collaborate on several initiatives that will help support IT and Web professional education, Web standards and jobs in IT and Mew Media.
The advocacy plan is in response to U.S. government studies predicting a significant shortage of technology and creative professionals in the country within the next three to five years. The organizations 2011/2012 advocacy plan designed to address the talent shortage, the growing skills gap and to answer the questions, “Why Consider a Career in the IT and New Media Profession, why teach Career and Technical Education and Web Standards in the classroom.”
“In order for the U.S. to continue to lead the world in innovation and creativity, we must develop an advanced information technology ecosystem that is able to refresh itself with IT and New Media talent and creative thinkers with the skills that employers need the most” said Bill Cullifer, WOW Executive Director of WebProfessionals.org and chair of the WhyITNow.org and Why Web Standards initiatives.
Andy Vaughan, Director, Strategic Programs, Monster Public Sector Education supporter of the initiatives said, “I clearly understand and appreciate the efforts to promote Web professional education and Web standards and how it will serve the Web professional community in the long term. We’re happy to support your IT and New Media education pathway efforts through the WhyITNow.org initiative in collaboration with the California Department of Education. Its important work and we’re happy to play a role.”
Gary Page, California Department of Education (CDE) said, “I’d like to thank the WebProfessionals.org association and the WhyITNow.org initiative for hosting the IT Innovation Summit Sacramento. The most exciting thing is that the WhyITNow.org initiative has brought in people of from all different aspects of education and industry and we have found that we have consensus on some key issues. For example, one of the problems is that we’re not talking with each other and that we’re living in silos and we need to break away from that somehow. I think that there is a consensus that we need to get together more and work together.”
WebProfessionals.org 2011/2012 Advocacy Plan and initiatives will drive skill development that will support and increase the pipeline for technical and creative workers and those that teach. It also will:
• Convene stakeholders to establish collaboration between business, the Web profession, education and government to develop a clear, concise and consistent communication strategy regarding why innovation, information technology and New Media is good for business, commerce, competitiveness and jobs.
• Develop an effective advocacy plan and implementation strategies that support innovation, New Media and Information Technology adoption and best practices.
• Promote general awareness of Career Technical Education (CTE) and information technology (IT) and New Media through websites, workshops, conferences and award ceremonies.
• Foster relationships and linkages between business and industry, education, career technical student organizations and government agencies to insure a continual pipeline of IT and New Media professionals with skills that aligns to industry demand.
• Promote digital literacy into general education curriculum to equip all graduates with these basic skills.
• Provide online Web professional short courses and educational resources.
• Promote Web design and development contest connecting business and industry with education and students and practicing professionals.
For additional information regarding the WebProfessionals.org 2011/2012 Advocacy plans and initiatives visit:
· Web Professional Directory (http://webprofessional.org)
· Web Professional Jobs (http://webprofessional.jobs)
· Why Web Standards (http://whywebstandards.org )
· New Media Careers (http://newmediacareers.org )
· WhyITNow.org ( http://www.whyitnow.org )
· WhyCTE.org (http://whycte.org )
· Web Design Contest (http://webdesigncontest.org )
· Web Pro Training (http://webprotraining.org )
For additional information about Webprofessionals.org Advocacy efforts and history visit:
WebProfessionals.org (https://webprofessionals.org/about/advocacy