Education key to tech growth

Colorado Springs Business Journal, Oct 28, 2005 by Marylou Doehrman

If the first rule of business is location, location, location, the first rule of high tech is education, education, education. A panel of Colorado Springs technology experts and moderator Gary Markle, president and CEO of the Colorado Springs Technology Incubator, echoed that sentiment at the Colorado Springs: Competing in the Global Marketplace forum.

The luncheon program, sponsored by the Greater Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp. and AeA Mountain States Council, coincided with Colorado Tech Week, a celebration of the state's technology sector. When it comes to the economic impact of high-tech in Colorado, business and community leaders have a lot to celebrate. According to a Cyberstates 2005 summary, Colorado has the highest concentration of high-tech workers in the country, with 91 of every 1,000 private sector workers classified as high-tech. Colorado ranks fourth nationwide in high- tech exports, which represent more than 61 percent of the state's total exports. Colorado is No. 12 in the nation for the most number of high-tech establishments - more than 10,000. Fast Company magazine ranked Colorado Springs 10th on its list of the 10 Fastest Cities in America. The magazine recognized the top-10 cities for finding new and innovative ways to attract top creative talent, including the cultural class, scientists, engineers, artists, managers, professionals and engineers. It's not difficult to attract or maintain top talent, said forum panelists Cindy Message, director of global sourcing for Agilent Technologies; Maurice Gaubatz, president of Pyxant Labs and Michael Semmens, president and CEO of Imprimis, a management consulting company for the defense and technology industry, and chairman of the Rocky Mountain Technology Alliance, a network of industry, academic and government agencies working to strengthen the Front Range technology corridor. The panelists agreed that the mountains and Colorado's climate are obvious draws. But the key to ensuring there is enough talent in technology to draw from is education. China graduates 250,000 engineers yearly compared to 16,000 graduating engineers in the United States, Semmens told the audience. If the trend continues, by 2010, 90 percent of all scientists and engineers will be in Asia, he said. Education is vital to maintaining a worldwide presence as a technology leader, Semmens said after the forum. At some level, it's no longer about manufacturing plants in other markets or jobs or anything else, he said.China is pouring tons of money into building factories, education and universities. The U.S. needs to be a technology powerhouse, and anything less is one of the greatest threats to national security, Semmens said. We are dipping down in terms of technology education. In the 1930s when we were accelerating as a world economic leader, most CEOs were engineers, who learned the business aspects. Semmens said education today is narrowly focused. One goal of the RMTA is to assist universities in developing curricula needed by the constituents, he said. If you talk to Air Force commanders or any of the aerospace contractors, they need system engineers. RMTA is helping the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs reinstate a systems engineering program, Semmens said. The RMTA also is committed to finding ways to engage K-12 students. The image of an engineer in America today is not good, he said. There are no movies or TV shows about an 'L.A. engineer.' The closest you get to science (on TV) are those CSI shows or 'E.R.' Access to higher and continuing education programs is vital as well, Semmens said, which includes tapping into the liberal arts side of education. An interdisciplinary approach to technology pushes innovation and addresses industry ethics, he said. The effort needs to be all-inclusive to take an idea to commercialization, Semmens said. It's no longer about the mad scientist locked up alone in his laboratory. Linda Christopherson also supports collaboration. She is a broker associate with Prudential Professional Realtors and serves on the RMTA's liaison committee and the Springs technology incubator's board. Christopherson said efforts like the global work force forum enhance the high-tech work force and benefit everyone in the community. If you look at technology and the products spun off - you can cut costs and do things more efficiently, she said. It all relates down to the things used in everyday applications for everyone. The RMTA's grassroots efforts break down the silos - and create an alliance in the industry, Christopherson said. Those alliances include communities from New Mexico to Wyoming, and many organizations working to support technology in Colorado. The global powerhouse will have the economic advantage, Semmens said, and the latter is fueled by education.