Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton promoted a new web-based resource Friday that connects young people to information technology internships in Wisconsin to meet the growing demand in the industry.
The new career and job matching service, established by the Information Technology Association of Wisconsin in partnership with the Lt. Governor's office and WISCareers, showcases companies and organizations with IT internship opportunities.
The online resource provides information for young people to find IT internships and attract them to the IT workforce.
Lawton said the website has just started and there are already listings for openings across the state.
[The initiative] is destined '¦ to let young people know that we want them to imagine their future right here in Wisconsin, so we can stop hemorrhaging our bright college grads and to build a workforce that will attract the 21st century businesses that are going to drive economic progress in Wisconsin,"" Lawton said.
Bill Mortimore, president and chairman of the Board of the ITAWi, said it is disappointing to see so many students leave Wisconsin after graduation because they do not realize the career opportunities that exist in the state.
""[Students] don't know what the opportunities are and that they are [in Wisconsin] '¦ a beer company is not necessarily thought [of] as an IT company, but it is,"" Mortimore said.
According to Lawton, the IT sector needs to be developed in Wisconsin because it has become an ""animating force"" driving innovations in the state's more traditional sectors, and this new resource will help fuel economic growth.
The misconception exists that a high-tech computer programming background is necessary to work in IT jobs, she said.
""[The IT industry] needs bright, intellectually agile graduates and [industry experts] can fill in the blanks on the rest,"" Lawton said.
Internship opportunities through the ITAWi can be found at www.itawi.org.
