A national PR campaign is being launched in the US to improve the image of the computer geek.

As part of the planned PR campaign, a video featuring NYPD Blue star Jimmy Smits promoting working with computers will be sent to thousands of schools.

The aim is to attract more people into the industry. Around one in 10 jobs in the core IT workforce are currently unfilled, according to a new study.

At a conference in California, US Vice-President Al Gore and other figures from government, industry and academia met to discuss the problem.

"It's going to show that it's a hip line of work," said Harris Miller, president of the Information Technology Association of America which co-sponsored the conference.

"It's going to say that you don't have to wear a pocket protector to work with computers."

The US Government will be publicising past winners of the National Medal of Technology, spending $3m to help workers from other industries to re-train in IT and creating a new internet-based job-bank.

This does not spell better news for overseas workers though. The Secretary of Commerce William Daley ruled out raising the cap on visas for skilled foreign workers, calling it "not politically feasible".
 

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