| | DECEMBER 20238IN MY OPINION THE FORMULA TO ENTRY-LEVEL TECH PIPELINES: TRUST AND MENTORSHIPBy Kenneth Sisco, Interim IT Director, University of Colorado DenverOne of the most challenging components of tech careers is finding that first job. Every position seems to require years of professional experience, and few employers are willing to take a risk on someone who has none. Higher education institutions provide a great deal of value through traditional education methods, but often struggle with the entry-level employment pipeline. Some work closely with industry partners to provide internships, but those are often highly selective and limited in number. Many institutions understand the value of providing on-campus opportunities through student employment, which is a fantastic opportunity for students to gain that entry-level experience to break into the workforce once they graduate, but far too few institutions truly provide that professional-level value for their student employees. They tend to funnel students into low-risk, low-responsibility roles such as answering phone calls, monitoring computer labs, and routing service requests. The greatest amount of value that can be provided to these students, however, is trust.Our IT team within the College of Engineering, Design and Computing at CU Denver adopts a practice of what we call "Goals Meetings." Each student employee meets individually with their manager and director at least twice per semester to understand what that employee hopes to Kenneth Sisco
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