LinkedIn like tool aims to address tech talent gap by connecting teachers, industry pros
July 21, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
Kansas City Tech Council and Blue Ocean Consulting have teamed together to create a software solution to address the talent gap in the tech industry.
iSpeakSTEM.com is a proprietary software system that aims to build a bridge between the business and education communities. Launching in Kansas City classrooms this fall, the software connects teachers with industry professionals, their network and resources.
After beta testing the software, Liberty Public Schools administrator Colleen Jones said that iSpeakSTEM offers teachers simplicity and convenience.
“It reminds me of a LinkedIn tool for education,” Jones said in a release. “You’re able to see potential speaker’s profiles, find out where they work, and review a brief write up of their experience. I don’t have to beat down doors of companies and beg to get someone to come in and meet with our kids. They come to us.”
The tech industry is responsible for nearly 100,000 jobs in the Kansas CIty economy and the industry is growing. Currently, the demand for tech jobs far outweighs the supply of talent. In May, the KC Tech Council released a report stating that in 2016 there were 4,699 open tech jobs in Kansas City that have yet to be filled.
KC Tech Council president Ryan Weber said that iSpeakStem will fill the gaps, allowing Kansas City to continue its growth as a tech hub.
“It’s a fact that across the nation, we’re facing a shortage of tech skills,” Weber said in a release. “So it becomes our responsibility to increase the number of students we reach every year in order to bridge the gap.”
The technology will integrate STEM education into elementary, middle and high school curriculum. Blue Ocean Consulting President Scott Carson said that iSpeakSTEM platform offers educators the resources they seek.
He believes that getting more educators into the classroom will help students.
“There are so many professionals out there who are untapped but willing to get in a classroom and share their knowledge and information,” Carson said in a release. “It makes the process and the connection much more efficient for both teachers and business leaders. By opening this door and connecting these two worlds, we’re certain it will lead to increased opportunities and possibilities for these students.”
iSpeakSTEM will launch in Kansas City area classrooms this fall. For more information, visit the website here.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
New collaboration will help OP startup 3D bioprint, scale its next-gen biotech solution
A Kansas biotech startup’s new manufacturing partner will boost efforts to automate and mass produce Ronawk’s headline-grabbing Bio-Block technology — a platform that has already accelerated medical advancements in tissue therapy. “Collaboration is critical for turning research advances into commercial therapies rapidly. The complexity and diversity of modalities is so big that nobody can do…
Museums shouldn’t feel like artifacts, KC firm says; Here’s how Multistudio uses analog experiences to build buzz
Multistudio doesn’t exclusively design museums, but the Westport-based architecture firm — along with Kansas City itself — certainly is having a museum moment, shared Robert Riccardi. The firm’s local portfolio includes a growing number of new-era museums, including The Rabbit Hole, the Laugh-O-gram animation studio, and the Satchel Paige House. They’re not your traditional museums…
Back2KC sets return date for its 2024 homecoming effort, scouting familiar faces to build an even stronger KC
When Back2KC returns this fall, the homegrown talent recruitment initiative will lean on unexpected connections to entice former residents — now out-of-town professionals — to give Kansas City’s recent Golden Age another look, organizers said. “The biggest win we can have is if these expats and ex-Kansas Citians come back, move their families here, move…
‘A piece of something bigger’: Makers help raise fabric of community with Union Station quilt project
A trio of Kansas City maker businesses wove together their talents this spring in support of a new, local health initiative — culminating in a towering expression of hope and healing at Union Station. Ampersand Design Studio, Tia Curtis Quilts, and Collective EX spent the past three weeks designing, fabricating, and displaying a colorful quilt…