'It's a Talent War': Tech Impact Report Highlights Delaware's Tech Talent Needs, Unveils Strategy to Bridge Gap

WILMINGTON, Del., October 8, 2019 (Newswire.com) - Today, Tech Impact released a new issue brief that explores best practices for employers, government, and nonprofit training partners to better attract, develop and retain skilled talent for Delaware’s technology jobs of today and tomorrow. The report, “Delaware Thriving: The Case for Investment in Delaware’s Tech Talent Pipeline,” can be downloaded from offers.techimpact.org/it-council.

“Delaware has a thriving tech sector, but it’s somewhat hidden from view because the jobs are embedded into the financial sector rather than in more traditional tech companies,” said Patrick Callihan, Executive Director, Tech Impact. “Delaware needs a larger platform to promote itself as a thriving tech hub and better strategies to develop local talent. The state government, nonprofits and businesses across all sectors have a role to play in bringing that to fruition.”

Through a series of interviews with industry leaders and third-party research, “Delaware Thriving” highlights where the state’s employers are feeling the biggest strain for mid- to high-skill talent as well as related gaps in existing training and upskilling programs. The paper also distills recommendations from featured case studies and insights from Tech Impact’s ITWorks, Zip Code Wilmington, and other organizations that illustrate what’s working to attract, develop and retain tech talent in Delaware. Among them are:

●     Amplify hands-on training or upskilling programs specific to mid-career professionals

●     Formalize and invest in a state-supported apprenticeship program

●     Identify solutions from similar markets, and apply lessons to collective recruitment and retention efforts in Delaware

●     Invest and scale the intermediary model

●     Develop the infrastructure for a thriving, statewide IT industry association

“Delaware Thriving” is being released at Developing Delaware: Conversations, Collaboration and Innovation, an economic development event hosted by the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce in Dover, DE, on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019.

For more information or to download the report, visit https://offers.techimpact.org/it-council.

Press Contact: Arron Neal, 213-568-3334, arron@mission.partners

Source: Tech Impact