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everything we can to assist with the growth of that sector,” says Gibbons. “One of the key challenges is we are competing against Facebook, Google, and Twitter, all of whom have offices in the city.”
That raises the bar for local employers when it comes to paying competitively. Salaries for many tech jobs in the local area tend to be hefty. Senior web developers in White Plains generally command from $145,463 to $203,850 according to research by recruiter Robert Half & Associates. Software engineers here bring in $141,075 to $198,788. And IT systems security managers earn from $175,163 to $253,463.
Helping local employers stay competitive will be mission-critical
to growing sectors like advanced manufacturing, for which the county has set up a task force. One plant owner recently told Gibbons she’s simply unable to find a software developer. “Her biggest challenge is she can’t hire people,” says Gibbons.
EMPLOYERS RECONSIDER NEED FOR 4-YEAR DEGREES
To address the tech talent gap, the county has been actively searching for an engineering school that would like to act as a partner, according to Gibbons.
“When you have a local engineering college, there’s a great ecosystem that develops where students do internships and get hired locally,” says Gibbons. “We’ll have better opportunities to attract the workforce if we have higher education focused on engineering.”
In the meantime, the county is relying on programs such as those offered by SUNY Westchester Community College (WCC) to help local residents get up
to speed for entry-level tech jobs. WCC’s new White Plains Education and Training Center offers a cybersecurity bootcamp and entry-level help desk technician programs as part of its short- term training and education programs leading to certificates.
“They are being very nimble in offering programs to folks who may be part of the whole Great Resignation and
decided they wanted to do something more substantive with their life,” says Gibbons. “They may have resigned from a job that was less than fulfilling.”
One trend that’s shaping workforce development in the county is employers’ increasing willingness to consider candidates who don’t have a four-year degree, Gibbons points out. At IBM, she notes, 50% of U.S. jobs are open to anyone who has the right skills or willingness to learn, providing additional opportunities for those who lack a BA or BS.
“That can be a real roadblock for many people,” says Gibbons. “In the tech sector, if you can demonstrate you have taught yourself or have the proficiency or aptitude, many times the four-year degree requirement is lessened. Many people in Westchester can’t afford to go to college, but they are smart and work really hard. We have an opportunity
to get them onto the on-ramp for a meaningful and well-paying career.”
Another possibility for those searching for an on ramp into the tech sector: occupations that are in high demand but can be entered with an associate degree.
For many of the jobs we associate with the tech industry — computer programmers, software developers and computer systems analysts, who study an organization’s current computer systems and design ways to improve their efficiency — bachelor’s degrees are traditionally required.
“In the tech sector,
if you can demonstrate you have taught yourself or have
the proficiency or aptitude, many
times the four-year degree requirement is lessened.”
- Bridget Gibbons, Director of Economic Development, Westchester County
Above: IBM’s research center in Yorktown Heights houses a lab where researchers are pioneering the science of quantum computing.
But web developers, who create and maintain websites, do not necessarily require a four-year degree and can expect good job prospects, according to the New York State Department of Labor’s (DOL) occupational employment projections. Job openings in this field were expected to grow 8.3% in the Hudson Valley between 2018 and 2028, according to DOL. The median annual wage for web developers and digital designers — who develop, create,
and test website layouts, functions,
and navigation— is in the six figures in White Plains, according to Robert Half & Associates’ research.
Computer user support specialists (9.1% expected growth in the Hudson Valley) and computer network support specialists (13.8% expected growth) maintain computer networks and provide technical help to computer users, respectively. Neither occupation calls for a bachelor’s degree, but wages can be significant. Robert Half & Associates estimates that a support specialist can make between $64,800 for someone new to the role and $97,200 for an experienced worker.
Gibbons and others in the economic development sector have made it their mission to encourage local talent to apply for jobs like this locally, rather than automatically assuming all of the best jobs are based in New York City. “The challenge,” says Gibbons, “is to make them aware of the career and training opportunities that are available here in Westchester.”
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© Courtesy of IBM