Publication Spotlight: Strategically Aligning Curriculum with Future Employer Needs Using the Skills Standards Process

The subject of this blog is a paper that examines how the Business & Industry Leadership Team (BILT) process helped members of the Information Technology (IT) field develop aligned curriculum. You may wonder why a Biotechnology/Biomanufacturing-focused website is covering what is happening in the IT field. The fields have similarities. IT is rapidly changing. And so is biotech. New techniques emerge, older approaches change. Employers in the area shift focus while new ones set up shop. The BILT process is applicable to many different fields, and in fact has already been applied to the biotechnology field (read our InnovATEBIO blog from 9/24/2024). So it makes sense to see how the BILT process supported efforts in the IT field—and to use lessons from their efforts to inform ours.

Workforce development is effective if the curricula meet the needs of the workforce. Each day in the classroom can add to the students’ skills and knowledge base for a fulfilling career. Building alignment with the Information Technology (IT) industry workforce needs is the focus of a recent Journal of Advanced Technological Education publication “Strategically Aligning Curriculum with Future Employer Needs Using the Skills Standards Process”. The authors discuss how the “IT Skill Standards 2020 and Beyond” (ITSS) National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education project worked with hundreds of employers to identify future-facing skills needed within IT job centers. This project engaged employers through the BILT model, an approach that has been shown to be a highly effective method of communication and collaboration between academia and industry. The BILT model was developed by the National Convergence Technology Center, funded by a 2012-2023 NSF ATE grant (DUE1700530). It features employers in co-leadership roles, allowing for increased recognition and engagement as employer suggestions are implemented and commitment strengthens. Information about the use of BILT can also be found at Pathways to Innovation, an NSF funded project (DUE 2039395), and at the NITIC website.

In 2023 and 2024 this overall method skills standards development, including the BILT model, was taught across multiple disciplines, with six ITSS Summit workshops in 21 states, followed by 1:1 mentoring sessions to continue the goal development. The timing of the development approach was crucial, as IT was (and still is) rapidly changing, making it difficult for employers to recruit qualified workers for both the established and newly created roles. 

The ITSS process started in 2019 by bringing together 142 expert “thought leaders” in the field and tasked them with identifying critical IT-related job clusters nationwide. Next, employer subject matter expert meetings were established to determine future-facing knowledge, skills, abilities, and tasks (KSATs) they would want a well-qualified applicant to have. This was done twice, to allow for revision. After establishing the KSATs, ITSS outlined a list of key performance indicators, (KPIs) to help guide educators and employers on performance metrics for the KSATs. In addition, employability skills (often called soft skills) were also ranked and finally educators provided student learning outcomes aligned with the KSATs to guide implementing the KSAs in curriculum.

The publication discusses the results of surveys which showed the incredible success the BILT model had and what actions came from the project.  And although the grant ended in 2024, two publications are still available (as of this writing): BILT NSF grant legacy documents, and Toolkit for Implementing the BILT Model for Business Engagement, found on the National Information Technology Innovation Center (NITIC) website. The NITIC is funded by NSF grant 2300188 and hosted by Columbus State Community College. There were several survey comments that stated, “advisory board being reorganized into the BILT model.” And, when follow-up surveys were conducted, respondents reported progress with their employer participants, but that the mentoring that went on after the workshops was critical for their success when they went back to their respective colleges. One school (Palm Beach) put BILT into the strategic plan for the whole college, not just IT! 

This article showed how educators and employers in IT made great progress in aligning curriculum to workforce needs and ultimately helping students learn what they need to get jobs and build a career.  But more than that, it outlined the process, so that others can adopt the approach too—helping us all to build a stronger workforce!

A. Behler and M. Dempsey. 2025. Strategically Aligning Curriculum with Future Employer Needs Using the Skills Standards Process.   Journal of Advanced Technological Education Vol. 4 Issue 1. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15346683.