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Student Idorehyin Uto-Uko works in the tech lab at WVC, a campus where there are now 1,000 computers at work.
Photograph and photo illustration by George Sakkestad
Wired for Action
West Valley College has a message for industry: Hey, look us over
By Jason Baker
Pastoral West Valley College, its buildings nestled in the gentle hills of Saratoga, seems a haven from the manic pace of Silicon Valley. But appearances, as they say, often are far from what they seem. The campus is wired for commerce and ready for the challenges of 21st-century education. And the school's instructors and students have a message for industry chiefs complaining about a lack of qualified high-tech graduates: "Take a look."
With congestion on the information superhighway beginning to mirror that of clogged Bay Area roadways, the demand for pilots to guide the silicon ships of fortune over the electronic sea is steadily increasing. Even the most advanced technology is useless in the absence of skilled workers, and most high-tech employers would agree the supply of qualified tech minds is rather slim.
Information is an asset only when it is made available. Businesses can't join the fray of "dot-commerce" without the proper technology and hardware--but absent the minds required to operate it, hardware simply becomes expensive furniture.
There is currently such a glut of jobs on the market that even recently announced layoffs, caused by restructurings at high technology companies, registered no more than a ripple on the economic ocean. Observers say that most workers in the field have multiple job offers even before they leave their cubicles. Based on employment research, for every 40 high-tech job openings in Silicon Valley, only one is getting filled.
David Buckmaster, director of education for the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, agrees that the shortage of high-tech workers is very real and "pretty scary."
The shortage, he said, is specifically in fields like engineering which demand advanced science and math skills--areas in which the U.S. lags behind other nations.
During the past five or six years, job growth in Silicon Valley has been remarkable. Figures compiled by the SVMG showed that more than 200,000 jobs have been added since 1992. An estimated 50,000 were added in 1997 alone.
Photograph by George Sakkestad
Gary Cloman, server systems administrator, works on the tech center's server.
Experts believe the frenetic growth of recent years will not continue. But overall, Silicon Valley is expected to see the continual addition of jobs. Long-term predictions call for another 200,000 new jobs by 2010.
"I think if growth continues at this pace we're going to have a problem," Buckmaster said. "Companies have to start looking internally."
Inside West Valley College lies a potential antidote for companies poisoned by the technological hiring drought. With summer winding down, faculty and administrators are hard at work completing the final phases of a digital upgrade they hope will help solidify WVC as a high-tech training ground.
"I don't think people realize West Valley College is highly technical," said Gladys DeLuca, the college's dean of technology. "We're sort of a sleeper college. But I think when people hire West Valley College graduates, they are very satisfied. We would like to see more Silicon Valley employers hire from within Silicon Valley."
Recently, WVC has enhanced its technology programs to teach skills that ever-changing job markets seem to require. Creating programs that keep pace with the high-tech capital of the world, however, is no mean feat. But administrators now feel the Saratoga campus is poised for the 21st century.
And the school isn't training students only for the work force. The state community college chancellor's office recently approved the college's new digital media degrees and certificates, which encompass e-security, e-commerce, web design and other tools students need to sell products over the Internet. In addition, the college's Internet Services program makes West Valley a one-stop shop for aspiring entrepreneurs. Concurrent with the changing world of cyberspace enterprise, WVC provides graduates with the skills needed to create a product and market it on the Internet.
For example, the school's highly touted fashion-design program has become more sophisticated over the years. A year ago, a major donation from Gerber Garment Technology helped supply the program with 34 high-tech design stations. Fashion Design and Apparel Technology students now can create a line of clothing and at the same time learn the skills to market it online.
WVC now boasts approximately 1,000 computers, not including the ones used by faculty and administrators. No longer solely the domain of programming and engineering students, computer and technology labs have been incorporated into 300 different course sections. Additionally, about 8 percent of the college's total student population participates in distance learning courses, which include teleconferences or videotapes students watch at home. More than three dozen faculty teach classes online. Instructors also are incorporating the Internet, videotape, satellite feeds, laserdisks and remote sites into their presentations, creating interactive learning environments.
"All students need some level of technical proficiency," DeLuca said. "I can't think of a program that doesn't have instructional software. The growth has been phenomenal, and the way technology has been embraced by the faculty is just amazing."
Photograph by George Sakkestad
Gladys DeLuca is the dean of technology at West Valley College, where high-tech training means jobs for students.
This summer, DeLuca has overseen the finalizing of the new Sun Microsystems Lab, a $100,000 state-of-the-art facility featuring 33 Sun Microsystems workstations. Sun provided the software programs to the college at a discount, and also matched a portion of the lab's funding. DeLuca said working with state-of-the-art systems should help students become proficient in UNIX, an operating system widely used for Internet design and operation.
Students also are offered hands-on cross platforms, allowing them to develop skills working with PC, Macintosh and UNIX-based systems.
DeLuca said the college strives to create programs that address current technology needs and yet provide enough flexibility to incorporate technology still in development. Administrators and advisory boards stay in close contact with companies to stay abreast of their workforce needs and offer courses designed to address those needs.
"We realize that in the future the hot buttons will be different," DeLuca said. "It's important to make the programs adaptable. Part of it is communicating with companies and part is simply observing the industry."
"Years ago, schools offered training for certain kinds of jobs," DeLuca said. "Students now work to develop a marketable portfolio of skills. When you are hired to work in Silicon Valley, the likelihood you'll be doing the same job in six months is very low."
While acknowledging the importance of the college's role as a technical training ground, DeLuca said WVC also remains a community college in the traditional sense.
"Certainly our goal is to help students make the transition from high school to college and on to universities," she said. "We offer students the structure to develop those skills and confidence. The programs provide students with the skills they will need to adapt in the workplace."
However, many students now are securing positions even before completing their degree requirements.
"It doesn't take four years to develop the skills a lot of Silicon Valley employers want," DeLuca said.
Ekanath Nikhade, a student at WVC, uses the tech center's open lab.
Photograph by George Sakkestad
While many students--young and older--come to West Valley to train for a specific career goal, college President Marchelle Fox said that educators and counselors encourage students to continue with education, even after securing positions in the workforce. "We want to create a relationship of lifelong learning," Fox said. "After students enroll, we have the opportunity to talk with them and counsel them to continue with their education even while they're working. It's very true that students are not going to enter one career and stay there the rest of their lives. Most will change careers six or more times, and for that they need constant retraining."
West Valley student Nancy Nerenberg embodies that concept. Nerenberg, a Los Gatos resident who designs, creates and distributes Eskesen floating-action pens, wanted a source she could refer potential vendors to for detailed product information.
"I wanted to be able to say it's all on my webpage," she said. So, she completed an introductory computing class and found the courage to purchase her first "decent computer." After teaching herself HTML, Nerenberg designed and launched her own website, www.floatart.com.
"The majority of my business now comes through the webpage," she said, pausing to field an early-morning call from an interested customer who had found her site. "I don't make sales calls any more."
Nerenberg now not only markets her own products on the Internet, but also designs websites for others. "A few people liked my website and asked me who designed it," she said. "From that, it kind of spread by word of mouth. I stay pretty busy."
She is working toward a programming certificate from WVC, in hopes of landing an entry-level programming job.
"When I was in college, I never took computer classes and avoided science classes," said Nerenberg, who received a degree in history from UC-Berkeley 25 years ago. "This time, I'm motivated by the desire to learn something specific. The evening classes at West Valley are great for that. You find a whole range of people taking classes for different reasons."
Despite the diverse tech training the college offers, DeLuca said, there are some skills professors just can't teach. Silicon Valley executives could go a long way toward solving their own staffing problems, she said, by investing more time and resources in community colleges.
"What we need from companies are people to come in and teach skills they need or want," she said. "We need altruistic long-term thinkers who teach skills like project management. Who teaches that? When it comes to skills like project management in the workforce, it's usually sink or swim."
Photograph by George Sakkestad
West Valley tech lab instructor Lisa Kaaz works with student Shu Wong.
Industry insiders agree the lines of communication between educators and employers have been scrambled to some extent.
"But we see that changing," Buckmaster said. "Technology is changing so rapidly, companies need to be direct in their lines of communication. Employers look for skills like being able to work in teams, which is a skill many employees don't have."
Buckmaster said attitudes toward recruitment are changing as employers realize they can't rely on recruits from outside the valley forever. A distinct advantage to supporting a more local workforce, he said, is the ties locals have to the region. Workers born and raised in the valley are more likely to remain here, because of family and friends and in spite of skyrocketing housing costs.
"Employers really need to develop programs locally," Buckmaster continued. "When we hear about community college technology programs like the one at West Valley, it's music to our ears."
But many think the shortage of students leaning toward technology fields begins long before students reach college age. In response, Workforce Silicon Valley, a regional collective founded by the SVMG, in August will hold a conference of high school and college educators and employers to discuss educational improvements and expansion of opportunities for area youth.
And the efforts are much needed by all accounts. DeLuca said that if students' current trend of shying away from math and science courses continues, the shortage of qualified high-tech employees will continue as well. "Years ago, when students would ask me what they should focus on, I would tell them to follow their passion," she said. "If a student is not interested in computer programming, they certainly are not going to make a good programmer."
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
