Mississippi Point out RCU’s Hollis joins statewide details technological know-how job drive

Contact: Brock Turnipseed

Studio portrait of Shelly Hollis
Shelly Hollis (Photo by Russ Houston)

STARKVILLE, Skip.—A Mississippi Point out schooling and curriculum chief is remaining named to a statewide process force aimed at expanding Mississippi’s info technological know-how workforce.

Shelly Hollis, assistant director of cyber education and learning for the university’s Study and Curriculum Unit, lately was selected to provide on the info engineering process power designed by C Spire and the Mississippi Point out Workforce Investment Board (SWIB). C Spire Chief Technological know-how Officer Carla Lewis and SWIB Chairman Patrick Sullivan tapped Hollis, who also sales opportunities MSU’s Middle for Cyber Education and learning.

“Shelly is passionate about personal computer science education, and the RCU is fortuitous to have a person with her eyesight and enthusiasm guiding the Center for Cyber Schooling,” RCU Director Betsey Smith reported. “She is dedicated to increasing the pc science classes and trainings available in our point out, and it is a testomony to her management that excellent associates like C Spire and SWIB have requested her to provide on this quite critical endeavor power.”

The activity pressure includes other leaders from point out instruction, sector, workforce growth and Mississippi Coding Academies.

“Being asked to provide on this committee is a terrific honor and a quite enjoyable prospect. To have K-12 education and learning acknowledged as an significant and valued part of the workforce pipeline is a massive phase towards closing the hole amongst schooling IT pros and the massive variety of open employment in our condition and country,” Hollis stated. 

“It isn’t stunning that K-12 schooling would be included with C Spire top the committee. It is a single of the greatest proponents of K-12 computer science education and learning in our point out. From an sector viewpoint, C Spire is major the cost in our condition to near the gap,” she included.

The group’s very first project is to acquire details from stakeholders in the IT workforce and education communities on what teaching opportunities are now offered and which assets are wanted to grow these alternatives. This info will be utilized in producing a centralized hub that delivers Mississippi inhabitants the skills essential to be aggressive in the state’s superior-shelling out, large-demand from customers IT workforce.

Hollis, who joined the RCU in 2014, reported that IT workforce improvement begins with K-12 laptop science schooling. She sees the activity power as an chance to deliver perception into the K-12 pc science training obtainable in Mississippi and even more showcase the successes of the Pc Science for Mississippi initiative, a collaboration between the Mississippi Division of Education and the RCU aimed at expanding K-12 laptop or computer science instruction in the condition.

“Many field and workforce leaders are not mindful of our CS4MS initiative and are typically pleasantly stunned at how considerably we are doing and have completed,” Hollis stated. “I can find out from the group how we will need to update present applications, build new packages and have an understanding of what certifications and specialised instruction may be needed.”

Since of the statewide initiative, computer science courses have been carried out in 132 university districts, additional than 1,600 teachers have been educated to train the curricula, far more than 65,000 Mississippi learners have now taken a laptop or computer science course, K-12 expectations and endorsements are in put for educational institutions and lecturers, and computer science now counts as a graduation credit score.

 

About the RCU
Established in 1965, the RCU contributes to MSU’s mission as a land-grant establishment to far better the life of Mississippians with a emphasis on bettering training. In particular, the RCU added benefits K-12 and greater instruction by creating curricula and assessments, furnishing schooling and studying alternatives for educators, researching and analyzing programs, supporting and selling occupation and specialized training, and main training improvements. For extra details about the RCU, visit rcu.msstate.edu or observe the business on Facebook (facebook.com/rcumsu), Twitter (twitter.com/rcumsu) and Instagram (instagram.com/rcumsu).