Video Game Helps Students Prepare for Information Technology Careers

By Neil Gonzales

SAN MATEO — A video game is helping area university students prepare for careers in business and information technology.

At the San Mateo IBM Innovation Center on Thursday, San Francisco State University student Andrey Lyubimov played a simulation on a large screen in which he came across various “co-workers” at a call center — some helpful but others not so much, including a character more interested in getting coffee than addressing a crisis.

In an interactive way, the program teaches students how to make decisions and gather information when they face various obstacles in the workplace.

The IBM-developed program is part of a new collaboration between universities and the information-technology industry to fill positions for database developers and other computer-systems experts.

At the center, Lyubimov joined academics and professionals in exploring this collaboration.

The partnership has “really opened up a whole great deal of knowledge of how things can be done technology-wise and on the business side,” said Lyubimov, who is majoring in finance and information systems at San Francisco State.

More than 300 students at San Francisco State, San Jose State University and University of Southern California are now learning real-world business scenarios with the simulation called Innov8, according to IBM.

“It’s taking video-game technology but applying it to business,” said Chris Badger, an official for San Mateo-based Forterra Systems Inc., an IBM partner.

“It’s a fantastic new medium to train new employees and solve business problems that are very complex.”

The partnership has also led to new courses focused on database applications at San Francisco State and other higher-education institutions. The courses are designed to provide students with the latest business and information-technology skills.

The industry needs “to collaborate with universities,” said Amy Cho, a San Jose State computer-science graduate student.

“It helps students get up-to-date and makes them more marketable to get jobs.”

IBM spokeswoman Jennifer Clemente noted that, according to the labor-analysis firm SkillProof in Connecticut, the average number of job openings for information-technology professionals in California increased by nearly 70 percent between 2004 and 2007.

By working with those in the industry, educators are realizing what kinds of students employers are looking to hire, said Stephen Kwan, a professor in the College of Business Management Information Systems at San Jose State. “We’re doing a better job in preparing our students and developing curriculum that’s relevant to their job search.”

Staff writer Neil Gonzales covers education. He can be reached at 650-348-4338 or ngonzales@bayareanewsgroup.com.

Originally published by Neil Gonzales, SAN MATEO COUNTY TIMES.

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