Signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on Sept. 1, House Bill 584 allows public junior college districts to partner with the Department of Information Resources to offer programs “leading to a state information technology credential to address shortages in the state information resources workforce.”
According to the bill, authored by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R-98), programs approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board must help students develop entry-level IT knowledge and skills and include a one-year apprenticeship with an appropriate department, another relevant state agency and “an organization working on a major information resources project” or an established regional network security center.
Speaking about the state's efforts to expand its workforce during the Industry Insider — Texas State of Technology forum last week, Capriglione said, "One of the things that we worked on, we spend a lot of time on, is making sure that our teachers know how to program, that they're able to get certifications in computer programming. So we funded, I think, enough money to help 87,000 students."
Completion of an approved program will award an associate degree that may be substituted for a four-year baccalaureate degree in applying for a state department position.
DIR to Partner With Junior Colleges to Supplement IT Workforce
Texas state agencies are partnering with public junior colleges to develop a state information technology credential to address workforce shortages.
![A row of students working on desktop computers in a computer lab.](https://erepublic.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a789730/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6271x3270+0+0/resize/840x438!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ferepublic-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2F7f%2Fdda7dce64ba9975f7c7a065da9f6%2Fshutterstock-122284963.jpg)
Shutterstock