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Employment Outlook

Florida ranked first among the southeastern states with international direct investments exceeding $24 billion annually [3]. The demand for information technologies throughout the region is making it one of the world's fastest growing market opportunities. The dynamic growth of the IT business in Florida demonstrates that, in many ways, Florida's climate for IT business is very advantageous.

Cyberstates, a publication of the American Electronics Association ranks Florida sixth among states in high tech employment. More recent data show that Florida experienced a 15% growth in information technology and employment and a 43% increase in the number of new establishments between 1996 and 1998. According to the 1998 Price Waterhouse Cooper's Money Tree Survey, Florida ranks eleventh nationally and third regionally in venture capital invested at $301.4 million. Relative to population size, Florida is second only to California in the number of Internet domains. Florida households have the highest rate of Internet usage after California and Virginia.

Between 1993 and 1998 the high tech industry added 1 million jobs. However a recent study by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) revealed 346,000 IT jobs are currently vacant in US companies with over 100 employees, translating to 1 in 10 IT jobs going unfilled. The survey group reported current secondary and higher education systems do not meet or often consider the demands of IT employment when preparing students for the workforce. In addition, they confirmed the lack of skilled workers was a significant barrier to growth.

According to the 1997 Bureau of Labor Statistics, the IT industry produces jobs with wages that are on average 77% higher than the average wages of the private sector. Florida's high tech wages have increased 8% annually between 1990 and 1997, while overall private sector wages have increased by only 4%. According to high tech wages in 1997, Florida ranked 32 among states in the US. Washington ranked first, followed by California, New Jersey, District of Columbia and Massachusetts.[4]

No other institution in the state provides a program such as the one proposed. The program is unique in its offering of required courses in information technology. In addition, its uniqueness also lies in the structuring of the elective courses sequence, which can be selected from one or more of several fields where information technology plays an important role, e.g. Health Administration, Business, Film Industry, Law Enforcement etc.

1. "Where the venture capital sun still don't shine", Tim McCollum, Digital South, http://www.digitalsouth.com/, Jan/Feb 2000.
2. Florida Statewide Strategies Plan for Economic Development, 2000-2005, Enterprise Florida.
3. http://www.floridabusiness.com/international/international_default.html
4. CyberEducation, American Electronics Association, 1999.

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