ABSTRACT

This chapter presents the reports on a study of information technology (IT)-producing firms' use of and interaction with Post-Secondary Education (PSE) institutions. Community colleges, technical colleges, and junior colleges are important components of the United States PSE system. PSE institutions contribute to industrial development and growth in multiple ways including supplying an educated workforce, occupational training, research collaboration, and spin-offs. An educated labor supply is increasingly important for high technology industries, and recruiting and retaining a pool of educated labor is significant for regional economic growth and development. PSE institutions provide programs of training and "further education" for employees. From the industry perspective, rapid technological change and increasing need for diverse skill requirements result in a growing need for external training/retraining of employees as well as internal training. Geographies of student internship programs are examined by asking the location of universities and colleges from which interns that IT-producing establishments hire came.