Dive Brief:
- Tech Republic dives into the growing need for trained workers in the nation's civic tech movement, as fields like transportation, environmental management and city planning now require new training to bridge technology and industrial best practices.
- Schools like Carnegie Mellon University and The Ohio State University are among the institutional leaders in preparing for this movement, recently launching graduate degrees and certifications in areas like data analytics and public policy with a focus on municipal technological development.
- Arizona State University and the University of Arizona are establishing academic niches in sustainability study and energy conservation.
Dive Insight:
Developing academic degrees and professional training to meet civic needs are rarely a problem for larger, better-resourced institutions, but smaller schools face an extraordinary challenge in working to establish these kinds of programs, and to sustain them with faculty and technological resources.
Campus leaders are typically adept at identifying areas that will hire graduates, but they have to move with greater speed at developing high-demand programs which will make a difference in the way cities and states grow economy and sustainability. As regions are looking for a better-trained workforce, theoretical foundations at the undergraduate level are no longer enough for graduates or institutions.