The McGowan Academic Center at Capitol Technology University bustled with students and recruiters on February 27 as the university held its annual career fair. Capitol faculty were on hand as well, conferring with area employers about the ever-evolving needs of the workforce.
This year’s event was the largest so far, with 26 area employers represented – up from 23 last year. Participating companies and organizations included the Defense Intelligence Agency, CNN, Discovery Communications, Honeywell and NASA. Bringing such an array of area business and organizations together under one roof was a not-to-be-missed opportunity for those involved in curriculum development at the university, which prides itself on tailoring programs and curricula to the current career market.
“I’m very excited that our faculty had the chance to speak to employers during a special session held as part of the fair,” said Sarah Alspaw, assistant director of career services. “They were able to gain valuable insights into how our university curriculum can be adapted in order to reflect changing conditions and ensure that our students retain their competitive edge.”
Dr. Robert Weiler, dean of the school of engineering and computer science, is now in the process of drawing up recommendations based on conversations with employers participating at the fair. He says a number of trends are evident.
“Computer science, for instance, is clearly going in the direction of cloud computing,” he said. “Agencies such as the CIA, Department of Defense, DIA and NSA are all moving away from server-based databases towards distributed databases.”
“Meanwhile, the Internet of Everything is already here,” Weiler said. “Honeywell, for instance, is designing ‘smart buildings’, which are remarkably like computer systems – except that you live and work in them.”
Along with these “big picture” trends, the university is keeping specific employer needs in mind. Capitol will now be requiring C in more of its programs, training more students in MatLab, Unix and SCADA. For potential power company employees, the school will soon offer courses in power management, switches and relays, and programmable logic controllers. The business program, meanwhile, will be boosted with courses in group dynamics and project management.
In-person discussions with employers based in the area provides a perspective that is not easily obtained from other sources, according to Weiler.
“Of course, we can look at the big national magazines and gauge the broad trends, but what that tells us is the state of engineering in the country as a whole, or even globally – not locally. These, on the other hand, are local people who hire our students for jobs in this area. So if I want a snapshot of what they are looking for, the Career Fair is the best opportunity. It’s the only place where I can get the local flavor,” Weiler said.
A diverse group of employers
Students attending the fair said recruiters seemed engaged and interested in what they had to offer. They also mentioned the varied range of businesses and organizations in attendance.
TJ Williams, a senior in the cybersecurity program, was among those attending the event. “It seemed more diverse this year, a lot of tables and a lot of companies. Every program of study that we have here seemed to be represented,” he said. “Everyone in there is very friendly and approachable, which is great, and everyone’s been very helpful in terms of finding a job. That’s what I’m here for – trying to find a full-time job and pay for my schooling.”
Fellow student Chretien Mayes said he appreciates “the chance to get out and meet folks and see all the different jobs that are out there.”
“Engineering is my field, so I’m mainly interested in testing and analysis, or design,” he said. “I’ve already founds folks who are interested in my credentials, so I feel pretty good.”
Among the participating employers was CNN, which is familiar with what the university has to offer – having hired Capitol students in the past.
“CNN is incredibly happy to be here, we have three alumni from Capitol and they really love it,” said Amelia Harris, a business co-ordinator with the company. “Being able to come here and experience all these new people, all these great candidates in computer science, engineering, and computer science – with their innovative ideas they can help make CNN better – I’m very excited.”