The University of Calgary has started to export a home-grown, fast-track learning program to help offset a critical Canadawide shortage in information technology professionals.
St. Mary’s University of Halifax recently became the third university, along with Regina and the U of C, to offer the 10-month Object Oriented Software Technology (OOST) diploma program.
Students, who already have at least a bachelor’s degree in disciplines ranging from the humanities to electrical engineering, complete a six-month formal training component and a four-month paid practicum at a partnering company.
Grant Lenz, the OOST learning program’s co-ordinator, said central Canada is a logical future expansion point. But Lenz, admitting that he’s burned out after spending six months starting up the St. Mary’s program, said he doesn’t want to rush OOST into other universities.
“I don’t want to expand somewhere and then find out it’s not a success,” said Lenz, following a U of C news conference last week that announced the St. Mary’s program.
“Success means that the students have good jobs. That’s what it really is. If you bring the students into this program and they’re not good, paying career types of jobs — and I stress career, not something where they’re out of work six months down the road — then I don’t want to be expanding this program. I really don’t.”
So what exactly is OOST? “In simplified terms, it’s a new way of software development or a new way of (computer) programming,” said Lenz, team leader of the U of C’s information technology training for industry.
“It’s a more efficient method of programming because it allows a lot of reuse of your code. They’re actually coded in objects and, so, those objects become reusable.”
That means companies which spent thousands of dollars on code 10 years ago can use the same code by making a few modifications, instead of purchasing brand new code at additional expense.
“Ninety per cent of the code is reusable,” said Lenz. “So that’s why the whole world market is moving over. It’s just a more efficient way of writing code than the way we were writing code 10 years ago.
“So it’s taken a little while for the software world to buy in and realize these efficiencies are there with this new paradigm, but it is there now and the whole world is moving into this new form of programming.
“I would say 80 per cent of the applications out there, whether it’s in the airline industry, in the automobile industry — anywhere — they’ve moved over, or are moving quickly, to this new form of programming.”
Despite the current crash of tech stocks, scholars and knowledge industry leaders contend there’s a worldwide shortage of IT personnel.
A November 2000 study, conducted by the Impact Group on behalf of eMPOWR Canada — a private/public sector initiative designed to increase the number of highly qualified people in phototonics, microelectronics, wireless and radio engineering — estimated there will be 46,000 new positions in those areas by 2005, but universities will train fewer than 10,000 highly qualified people.
“We’re very conscious of the fact that the IT industry is moving rapidly,” said U of C vice-president academic Ron Bond. “We all know that when we look at developments in our own households and look around at our own use of computers, our own use of technology. Clearly industry, in order to be competitive enough, has to move at an even more rapid rate.”
He said the OOST learning program is one of many which demonstrates that the U of C is working with industry to make sure students meet current demands as soon as they complete their degree or diploma programs.
“I think it’s this kind of program, together with some of the credit programs we offer and some graduate programs we offer, that will put us on the map in terms of IT education around the world,” added Bond.
U of C continuing education faculty officials say that more than 95 per cent of OOST grads receive offers of full-time employment within 30 days of completing their work terms. Their salaries range from $36,000-$65,000 per year.
“A few go down to the [United] States but generally, I would say 95 per cent of our grads stay right here in Calgary with our partnering companies,” said Lenz.
The first OOST grad to be hired, Stacey Smith, who holds a history degree, now serves as Web content manager for Calgary-based online travel company Tripeze.com
Kevin Gault, a former Calgary lawyer who didn’t want to practise law anymore but didn’t have time to complete a four-year degree, said the OOST program helped him become a senior project management analyst with Calgary-based PanCanadian Petroleum.
“This program was the single best career decision I ever made,” said Gault, adding he uses the skills he developed every day.
Kevin Wood, director of consulting services for xwave Solutions, said his company has hired nine of the 10 OOST co-op students who completed their training there and suggested he will likely hire more in future.
“I’m really pleased to be part of this announcement because I link a big part of our success with the OOST program,” said Rob Sykes, president of Clarity Inc., whose Calgary-based company has 200 employees. “(OOST) grads know what they’re doing.”
Sykes said OOST is an effective way to develop partnerships between business and the university. When it started in 1997, the OOST program had only seven Calgary industry partners, but it now has more than 90 — and counting.
The U of C, Regina and St. Mary’s use the same textbooks and course workloads, similar exams and, in some cases, the same instructors.
“The majority of instructors that come in — in St. Mary’s, Regina, Calgary — have that industry experience,” said Lenz. “That is key to this program . . . These are people that are working right out there in industry.”
The U of C’s OOST program produces 52 grads — who then complete their work terms — every six months.
An OOST information session will be held Jan. 25 at the U of C. For further information, call 220-4621.
