| The purpose of the study was to determine to what extent an information systems curriculum meets the needs of employers. More specifically, the study attempted to contribute to a better understanding of the workplace and technology skills needed by entry-level information services and support positions.; Responses from 116 (59.8%) out of 194 samples of community college instructors, four-year college instructors and human resource managers of Illinois Fortune 500 companies showed that read and follow instructions, listen and follow directions, communication, adapt to change, and team work were essential for information services and support positions. In addition, human resource managers ranked customer relations and time management as the sixth and seventh essential skills. Technology skills in demonstrating the knowledge of classes of software associated with information systems, the hardware and software associated with information systems, basic data communications components and trends, utilize Internet services, and the ability to perform varieties of computer application software functions were considered essential by the groups surveyed.; Statistically significant differences were found between community college instructors and four-year college instructors regarding their perceptions on these skills: Technical writing and documentation, economic and business concepts, management and supervisory, applied programming language, network architecture, data warehousing, telecommunications networks, infrastructure systems, Database Management Systems activities and administration, Development of Life Cycle (DLC), design, develop, and analyze information systems projects, systems administration and control, and IS project management. Community college instructors showed lower scores than 4-year college instructors.; Based on the type of industry, no statistically significant difference was found in perceptions of workplace and technology skills among Illinois Fortune 500 human resource managers companies.; Human resource managers indicated the PC Support Service (A+), as the most desired certification, followed by Certified Novell Engineer (CNE) and the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). |
