As Baby Boomers retire, the demand for qualified individuals to fill technical jobs is increasing, the Associated Press reported. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 854,000 professional IT jobs will be added between 2006 and 2016, an increase of about 24 percent. When replacement jobs are added, the total IT job openings in the 10-year period are estimated at 1.6 million.

However, enrollment in undergraduate degree programs in computer sciences is more than 50 percent lower than it was five years ago, according to the Computing Research Association’s annual survey.

However, companies in Iowa are trying to take proactive measures against the decline in IT personnel. For instance, the Technology Association of Iowa, a nonprofit organization based in Des Moines, recently introduced a pilot program called HyperStream, which is a career awareness project aimed at students in grades 8-12 to help correct misconceptions about IT positions.

“We’ve created a presentation that counters the misperceptions that are out there,” said Leann Jacobson, the group’s president. “Misperceptions that careers in technology are geeky and not cool, that this is a field that only guys go into.”

Rockwell Collins Inc., based in Cedar Rapids, is also concerned about the growing discrepancy between the demand for and the availability of IT personnel. CEO Clay Jones said a shortage of those workers could restrain growth and could damage customer relationships if projects had to be delayed.

“When you look at the relative availability of those people in the nation, we believe they’re going to continue to be in demand and ultimately in short supply the next three to five years,” Jones said.