At C Spire, we decided a few years ago that something needed to be done about helping move our state forward. Our local and state leaders and key organizations do a great job, but we know it literally takes a village to move the needle in some of these important areas. We were tired of listening to the steady drumbeat of sometimes misleading surveys and lists that put our state at the bottom.
One area where everyone agrees we need to make improvements in is technology availability and use by our residents and our businesses. As a technology and telecommunications company, C Spire decided to launch our Tech Movement program in 2017 to help us make progress in some key areas – like broadband internet availability and adoption, workforce development and embracing new technologies and approaches like artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, smart cities and precision farming to improve our bottom line and our quality of life.
One of the most important elements of our Tech Movement program is helping build the workforce of tomorrow today. A big part of the future involves jobs in the science, technology, engineering and math fields, specifically coding and computing jobs.
Workers with coding skills and a background in computer science are in high demand and short supply in Mississippi today. Employers in our state currently have 1,144 unfilled job openings due to the serious shortage of trained, qualified computer and information technology workers. The average entry-level starting salary for qualified IT workers is over $70,000 a year, almost double the statewide average.
Nationally, research from Code.org estimates that there will be a shortage of over 1 million software developers in the U.S. alone next year. We need to inspire, educate and encourage our students now to become leaders in the new digital economy.
How do we do that? At C Spire, we are conducting coding challenges at the high school level and for the past two years, in elementary school with 4th graders. It’s never too early or too late to teach critical thinking, problem solving and computational skills in the 21st century. We’ve gone through the smartphone, tablet, apps, big data and streaming video revolutions, it’s time for a coding revolution.
If it sounds like we are moving with a sense of urgency, you are absolutely right.
C Spire has already conducted several successful coding challenges since April 2017 involving dozens of high schools and over 500 students. Last month, we worked with 60 fourth graders from elementary schools across the state and we are planning another high school challenge next March.
On top of everything else, coding is fun. Our children and grandchildren are growing up in a digital-first world and what better time to tap into their natural curiosity and thirst for knowledge than today when our need has never been greater.
This challenge, though, is a like a three-legged stool. If we focus only on students, we are in peril of overlooking two of the most significant influences on them – their parents and their teachers.
The Bible says train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old, they will not depart from it. We need to inform and educate parents about the importance of computer science and coding and the central role it will play in their children’s lives and in society and everyday life in the years to come. That’s why C Spire works closely to engage parents in our programs and encourage them to be actively involved in helping guide, lead and direct their children.
Likewise, teacher training is critical if we hope to move the coding needle. Teachers can play a central role in encouraging and inspiring children to pursue academic and professional careers in computing, but they need to be informed and equipped to be successful. That’s why C Spire is partnering with the Mississippi Department of Education and Mississippi State University on a new program that promises to speed up the entire process so that we can get more people into the workforce more quickly with these skills. This holds great promise for keeping our best and brightest right here in the Magnolia state where they belong – with their families and friends.
While our state may not be known as a technology hub today, there’s no reason to believe that we can’t eventually become the epicenter for the new Silicon South. With leadership at the city, county, state and federal level and partnerships with entities like the Mississippi Children’s Museum, the Mississippi Department of Education and Mississippi State University, I believe we are poised for success.
Make no mistake. The world is changing right before our eyes. The engine of our state’s economy, our nation and the world is going to be driven by the Internet, digital commerce and technology innovation. At C Spire, we are committed to ensuring that
Mississippi will be at the head of the line in this transformation to a knowledge and technology-based economy.
Carla Lewis is CTO of C Spire
