Software Employers and the Education Challenge

By Charlie LaTourette, director, Programs & Communication, E3: Employers for Education Excellence

Highly qualified and educated employees are essential to the success of any software company, and they are critical to the long-term growth of Oregon’s economy. This point was driven home at the recent Oregon Leadership Summit where more than 1,000 business and civic leaders gathered to discuss economic challenges and opportunities. Education was at the top of the agenda.

The importance of education to Oregon’s economy

Companies in Oregon, and around the country, are having a difficult time finding high-quality employees. This is especially true in the high-tech industry where the demands of the workforce have changed dramatically over the last 10 to 15 years. In Oregon, we are just not keeping up. Nearly 40 percent of Oregon middle-school minority and low-income students are not meeting basic benchmarks in reading and math. This number grows even higher when those same kids reach high school¾and far too many of them are dropping out of school altogether. The kids who drop out will be four times more likely to be arrested and placed in an already overcrowded prison system. They will have a 25 percent chance of going on government assistance, and just a 50 percent chance of finding any work at all. The economic and social cost, for all Oregonians, will be enormous.

The education challenge crosses ethnic and class lines. Far too many white middle-class students are failing to graduate from high school and, even if they do graduate, nearly 30 percent of them lack the skills to be successful in college. According to a recent report in the Oregonian, nearly 25 percent of college freshman students in Oregon universities are dropping out after their first year because they lack the basic academic skills to succeed. Most of those students do not continue with any formal education.

At the Oregon Leadership Summit, Governor Kulongoski led the discussion on education reform and its importance to Oregon’s economy. He stated emphatically, “If we let education fail in Oregon, our economy will surely fail.” Clearly, Oregonians have a vested interest in helping to make our education system the best it can be, and employers can play a key role in making change happen. They can provide vision, leadership, unique expertise and resources.

A way for employers to take action

At the Summit, the Employer-Classroom Challenge--a joint initiative with E3: Employers for Education Excellence, the Oregon Business Plan and the Chalkboard Project--was introduced as a way for employers to take action and show their support for quality education in Oregon. The initiative encourages employers to support schools and is a mechanism for recognizing companies that do.

There are many different ways employers can support schools--by providing volunteers and mentors, creating job shadows, holding site visits, speaking to classes about business and technology, and providing summer internships. Companies such as Intel, IBM, HP and many others in the high-tech industry provide a range of school support services, encourage their employees to get involved with schools, and even offer their own specialized education programs that focus on technology. The easiest thing to do is to encourage your own employees to support schools using your existing in-house communication vehicles such as e-newsletters, e-mail, bulletin boards and company meetings. As an example, see how IBM employees at Oregon’s Beaverton campus have been investing their time and knowledge to help students and improve the quality of public education.

Join the Challenge and be recognized

When employers register for the Challenge, their company is designated an Oregon Education Champion and receives an electronic logo to display on its Web site and to use in marketing materials--demonstrating the company’s commitment to quality education in Oregon. In addition, their company name will appear on a Champion’s honor-roll listing that will be promoted statewide to encourage support of schools.

Registering for the Challenge is easy and free, and it’s a great way for your company to be recognized for what you may already be doing to support education. For information, visit www. E3Oregon.org/championform. If you have questions about how your company might get involved in working with local schools, call Paige Haxton with E3 at 503-595-7616.

Given how important a quality education system is for Oregon, and our industry, we encourage you to consider taking the Employer-Classroom Challenge.

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