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Purpose-In response to recent calls for research relating to employers' perceptions of the workplace readiness of new graduates in a variety of fields, the purpose of this paper is to report North Florida employers' perceptions of information technology (IT) program graduates' workplace readiness. These findings are relevant to stakeholders in growing technology regions. Design/methodology/approach-Researchers conducted 18 semi-structured interviews with IT employers in North Florida. Data were deductively coded with codes derived from national standards. Interviewee verbatim was also inductively coded by theme. Findings-While employers valued a blend of technical and general skills and hands-on experience, they also sought new professionals who possessed fundamental understandings of business and computer programming to tailor their problem-solving skills to the specific company environment. Research limitations/implications-This research represents a limited number of employer viewpoints in one representative community. Practical implications-Ongoing industry input into curricula and expanded experiential opportunities may ensure that graduates are prepared to address current and future IT developments. Because the region under study was typical of many regions with growing technology sectors, these findings may inform partnerships, curriculum, and program design. Originality/value-Given the rapid growth and constant advances of the IT sector, institutions with IT degree programs are challenged to ensure that their curricula are current and meeting the needs of employers. This study's findings may offer timely insight into elements of workforce preparedness.

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to analyze 86 information technology (IT) internship postings to discern the extent to which the intended outcomes matched professional standards for four-year IT programs. Design/methodology/approach-The researchers text mined specified skills from 86 internship postings and compared them to the competencies outlined in the ACM/IEEE Body of Knowledge. Findings-Results indicated that students can expect to gain experience and exposure to both technical and general competencies. Though research and policy relating to technical fields have emphasized professional competencies such as teamwork, communication, and professionalism, this analysis suggested that the internship postings greatly emphasized technical skills at the expense of general competencies. Research limitations/implications-The most frequently occurring competencies suggest future research opportunities for considering contextual factors of internship sites. The researchers conclude with implications for using text mining as a tool for comparing internship intent vs outcomes as well as suggestions for policies, standards, and curricula worthy of further exploration. Originality/value-Employers, educators, and professionals agree that internships offer a promising means to link course content and practical workplace skills, especially in technical fields like IT. However, less clear are the ingredients of effective IT internships.

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