Abstract:

Alignment between education – in this respect the aspect of education that is knowledge, skills and abilities in contrast with the more general learning how to learn and developing a well-rounded, broad base of knowledge – and demand from the private/public sector’s employment needs is often not given the attention it deserves.  Although the increased focus on STEM training has been gaining momentum, there exists a gap, both philosophical and practical, between what is learned in a formal educational setting and what is often expected “on the job.”

This informal, interactive session will focus on highlighting some of these gaps, both real and perceived, and what can be done to bring the somewhat competing agendas of developing the ability to create knowledge and the more in-demand, albeit less holistic, need for technology practitioners closer together. 

Bio:

Rod Davenport joined the Department of Technology, Management and Budget in June 2012 as its new Chief Technology Officer. In his role, he will lead efforts to form and implement the strategic direction for Michigan’s information technology efforts. Mr. Davenport has more than 20 years of IT experience working in a variety of industries, including publishing, automotive, health care and energy. Most recently, he worked as enterprise technology strategist with DTE Energy, where he focused on innovation and emerging technologies. He also played a lead role in implementing a Department of Energy research grant to conduct an analysis of Smart Grid communication protocols. Mr. Davenport holds a bachelor’s degree in information technology from Lawrence Technological University.

Host:

Dr. Xiaoming Liu