Abstract:

The rapidly changing Information Technology (IT) industry and associated markets require IT functional operational environments that are enabled for adaptation to new ideas and increased competition. Therefore, IT-focused human resource managers (HRM) must find new ways involving recruitment, on-boarding, and continuous training of IT personnel. HRM should look at numerous factors such as social, economic, and technological elements that influence environments to change an IT organizational unit’s level of engagement to address the needs of the workplace. Through the analysis of key factors in such environments, HRM can create effective new strategies to develop competent IT human capital for the IT organizational unit. The use of effective information systems has been a primary tool for the incorporation of methods to improve the overall efficiency of the organization. Also, having IT staff with appropriate education and technical credentials is a critical feature to adapt to the rapidly changing IT industry and marketplace. Many graduate, undergraduate and certification programs are designed to meet the supply and demand continuum for IT employees in the industry. Periodic reviews and analysis of the Departments of Commerce and Labor statistical reports provide important information regarding area-specific and industries that can benefit from individuals with IT education, experience, and expert skills. This research project was guided by three research objectives. Those research objectives are to 1.) Investigate the recruitment and onboarding policies and procedures for procuring IT unit professional and non-professional staff at selected institutions of higher education, 2.) Investigate in house and external training opportunities for career advancement for IT unit professional and non-professional staff at selected institutions of higher education, and 3.) Investigate the IT unit operational environments including unit management, budget, and associated material resources at selected institutions of higher education. The methodological approach is qualitative with a research design structured to capture data from six qualitative/quantitative sources. Those sources are IT unit professional and non-professional staff interviews, examination of IT unit budget allocation and facility/ equipment inventory, annual reports generated from IT unit operations, the examination of professional and non-professional staff profiles, the examination of professional and non-professional staff longevity and turnover rates, as well as internal and external professional development opportunities. Data were collected from a selected regional set of peer institutions of higher education in the Mid-Atlantic area of the United States. An analysis of findings indicated that IT units in some under-resourced and medium resourced higher education institutions are similarly under pressured to maintain a stable corps of competent IT professional as well as non-professional staff.

Keywords:

Technical credentials, technical education, IT unit operations, functional operational environments, external training, internal training, career advancement.