On February 23, CompTIA in partnership with DeVry Education Group and 1871, hosted “Closing the Gap” a panel discussion on the tech workforce skills gap and to encourage cross-sector collaboration to close the technology and other job-related soft skills gap, and generate new ways to expand Illinois’ talent pool.
The forum was hosted at DV X Labs, DeVry Group’s collaborative ed tech incubator at 1871, Chicago’s entrepreneurial hub for technology startups, and brought together thought leaders from public, technology and private-sector institutions including 1871, CompTIA, DeVry Group, Illinois Technology and Innovation Legislative Caucus, Northwestern University, World Business Chicago and others.
Panel participants included Gretchen Koch, Creating IT Futures Fund, Dean DeBaise, Board of Directors for 1871, and Dinkar Karumuri, President & CEO, Senryo Technologies with a keynote address delivered by Andria Winters, Assistant Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
In her keynote address Ms. Winters pointed to strong and coordinated workforce development efforts as a key ingredient to overall economic growth in the state. “Illinois’ workforce is one of our state’s greatest assets. A skilled workforce is a critical part of attracting businesses to Illinois and growing our state’s economy,” Winters said. “The Illinois Department of Commerce is committed to working closely with employers and educators to create strategic alliances and a collective vision to build Illinois’ talent pool and meet employers’ needs to fill high-demand jobs in STEM fields.”
The forum ended with a great Q&A session with great questions from state legislators in attendance. CompTIA looks forward to hosting more of these events in the future.
