Tech jobs on the rise; schools aim to fill demand.

This post comes from eSchoolNews. Employers across the nation are finding it increasingly difficult to fill information technology (IT) positions, mainly because of a shortage of qualified entry-level and advanced employees, according to industry experts.

Contrary to what many people believe--that available IT jobs are on the decline--businesses throughout the United States say the IT sector offers more job opportunities than ever, and they're struggling to find employees to fill these many openings.

Industry insiders point to a few reasons for the shortage, including the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) education law and lingering perceptions from the dot-com bust that occurred earlier this decade. Now, experts are trying to change these perceptions--and they're looking to schools for help.

Part of the reason many people think the IT field holds little promise is they don't understand things have changed since 2000 and 2001, when the IT field took a hit, said Gene Longo, senior manager of U.S. field operations for Cisco Systems' Networking Academy program.

"In 2000 and 2001, when the dot-com bust happened, and then [immediately after] September 11, we saw lots of layoffs in the IT and tech industries," Longo said, adding that many students and professionals shied away from the IT field when they saw jobs were scarce. Click here to read the rest of this article.