Solving for the IT Skills Gap

Status Go Podcast: Episode 1

“Of all of the leaders out there in all of our industries a full 85% don’t get beyond the self authoring stage.” – Ron West

Episode 51: Solving for the IT Skills Gap

Attracting and retaining talent is not only a popular topic among tech leaders right now, but a crucial one. It is hard to find good people and as organizations dig further into their transformation strategies, the skills gap continues to be an issue. We invited Linda Calvin, VP, School of Tech at Ivy Tech Community College, to answer some burning questions around this very topic. Linda and Jeff Ton discuss how educational institutions are addressing the widening skills gap, what leaders can do to find and attract the right people and ultimately, with such a competitive industry, how to keep the people you hire.

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Time Stamped Table of Contents

0:55 Linda’s journey to Ivy Tech

5:03 Practical applications for a diverse background

7:21 Addressing the widening skills gap

10:16 How IT Leaders can get involved

12:37 Creating an environment of diversity and inclusion

15:56 The value of inclusivity

18:54 Why “culture fit” may be hindering your hiring process

23:13 Working the concepts of diversity and inclusion into the educational landscape

29:00 Action items

Linda joined Ivy Tech Community College as Vice President of the School of Information Technology in April 2019. In her role, Linda provides professional leadership in the development of quality standards and consistency in academic courses, training, and other programs to serve the information technology sector. Linda partners with employers to sponsor School of IT activities, identify opportunities to recruit talent from the school of IT, coordinate internships, voice IT curriculum and consult on trends in technology and market demand.

Linda has over 20 years of experience working in IT in the private sector. Before joining Ivy Tech, Linda was the Digital IT Leader for the Security business for Stanley Black & Decker. Linda started her career at Dow AgroSciences, now Corteva, working in Systems Support Helpdesk, she also held roles in R&D and Policy Communications, and served as the global digital/mobile & social media project leader, leading digital transformation in collaboration with IT, business, marketing, and agency/vendor teams.

During her tenure at Dow AgroSciences, Linda earned her juris doctor and subsequently accepted a position with the Office of the Corporation Counsel for the City of Indianapolis as Assistant City Prosecutor.