IT Outsourcing: A Challenge from Rural USA
Thursday, September 30th, 2010
Information Technology assignments such as applications development and integration, software testing and data reporting are proving expensive for U.S. companies to do in-house. To reduce costs, these jobs were being moved more and more to lower cost countries like India. Such outsourcing of work has led to loss of jobs in the U.S.
A new initiative has been taken by an entrepreneur in Missouri, USA, to halt this trend. The initiative involves going to rural areas where there are no existing IT-trained staff, locating unemployed workers and putting them through a four-month program designed to make the trainees into software developers.
Trainees to undergo the programs are selected carefully. Local Missouri Career Centers do preliminary screening of the candidates. This is followed by behavioral interviewing and a Computer Programming Aptitude Test by the recruiter. Only those who reach a threshold, about one in eight, are accepted for training.
The entrepreneur describes the training program as “gut-wrenching hard work” and not everybody can get through it. What this means is that in each rural area, only a few persons get selected. To achieve volumes, it will be necessary to extend the program to cover ever wider regions.
While the rates charged by the new initiative are still a bit more than offshore firms, the higher charges are compensated by the risks off shoring involves, according to the entrepreneur. Off shoring typically involves communication gaps, time zone differences and quality issues arising from high attrition rates.
Read the story at The Economic Times of India.
Tags: information technology, IT outsourcing
Posted in business, information technology, skills training, training | 3 Comments »
Technology Transfer in Operation at Connecticut
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010
We see universities as places where people are trained to provide manpower for various industries. Actually, universities have another role, research, which also can help industries. Many of the research findings that emerge in university labs might have practical applications.
For the practical applications to materialize, however, the technology should be applied to produce things that have a market. In addition, the technology needs to be transferred from labs into production floors. This typically involves scaling up the lab processes into full-fledged production processes.
Applying new technology to develop marketable products, and the engineering involved in scaling up lab operations to production operations, is basically what we call as commercialization of technology.
In Connecticut, schools are working with state and industry officials to create incubator programs for businesses in the high technology areas such as biotechnology that can, for example, help develop more effective treatments for diseases.
An example is the University of Bridgeport that has the largest engineering school in the state. Its faculty and students are involved in major research projects, such as a project to develop unmanned aerial vehicles for the army.
The University has now joined Connecticut Innovations Inc. (CII), the state’s quasi-public authority for technology investing and innovation development, to set up CTech IncUBator that has begun accepting applications from hopeful entrepreneurs.
Read the full report at conntact.com.
Tags: business, connecticut, incubator programs, technology transfer
Posted in business, mentoring, skills training, technology commercialization | No Comments »
iPhone Application Illustrates Customer Focus
Saturday, June 26th, 2010
World Champion pole dancer Felix Cane has launched a pole dancing application for the iPhone. It is reportedly the most comprehensive and advanced pole dancing application for iPhone, with a video catalogue of pole dancing moves and an official terminology released by the Pole Fitness Association. Both pole dancing and iPhone appeals mainly to young people and the targeting is great.
Pole dancing is excellent as a fitness exercise and it is also getting increasing recognition as a mainstream sport, with the news being that it might be included as an official item in Olympic sports. The celebrated release of the application will help more people to get to know this sport that requires strength and skill to master.
The new application was built by Pocket Pole Studio (UK), Pole Fitness Association (Salt Lake City, Utah), Felix Cane Inc. (Orange County, CA) and others. It is designed as a complete reference guide for the sport. It shows movements for the beginner, intermediate and advanced practitioners, rather than scandalous ones. There are also video and picture galleries. It is a professional application and the developers advise that the movements be attempted only under the guidance of a certified trainer.
Read the news release at PRWeb.
Tags: business, fitness, information technology, sport
Posted in business, information technology, skills training, smartphone applications | No Comments »
Technology Career Help in Changing Times
Sunday, March 14th, 2010
Job-seeking advice from a technology career expert published at eWeek include resume trends, job-seeking approaches for laid-off IT professionals and advice on becoming a contractor.
Resume Trends for 2010 include showing how the applicants contributed to improvements in their employer’s performance through the inititatives they participated in. The performance improvements should be quantified. Some suggestions for meeting the challenge of quantification, which can substantially add value to the applicant, is outlined in the eWeek article. Creating multiple resumes tailored to specific job positions is another trend that can become increasingly manifest.
Management position seekers should seek to convey their nontechnical competencies such as developing budgets, controlling costs and enhancing service quality. Technical skills can be mentioned but not emphasized. The emphasis should be on managerial performance.
Laid off workers have to counteract the impression that they were laid off for poor performance. A public announcement by their erstwhile employer mentioning a restructuring or strategic exercise, if available, can be of value for this purpose. A recommendation letter, preferably from the employer who laid the person off, is definitely worth it. Another tactic is contacting the prospective employers direct, instead of through job search agents and networks.
Probably one of the best options will be to move into a contracting position. Contractors typically need to provide references to satisfied clients. In the present case, the clients will be the companies where the person worked in the past. Can you show how you helped them, in quantitative terms?
Read the high value article with more specific details at eWeek.com.
Tags: become a contractor, job search, laid off, resume, technology jobs
Posted in business, job search, skills training | No Comments »
Biotechnology Businesses can do more than Biotechnology Business
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
Like all business, biotechnology business can also create new products, jobs, economic development and wealth. Biotechnology businesses can do more.
Biotechnology business is knowledge-based. More than equipment, this business needs knowledge. Scientists work in biotech labs creating new solutions to increase crop yields, resist pests, cure human diseases and meet other needs.
The increase in yields from existing acreage is the only way to meet the hunger of an increasing world population who need not only more food but also more land.
And as the world begins to be populated with more aged people, owing to improved healthcare, it is biotechnology that can potentially provide solutions to many diseases, particularly diseases like Alzheimer’s that have a genetic basis.
Biotechnology businesses can do even more. It can arouse interest in science in young people who prepare for a promising career. As jobs shift to knowledge industries, more and more young people will be attracted to aquisition of needed knowledge.
Biotechnology deals with living organisms, including humans. Research in the field seeks to understand the genetic basis of growth and diseases, and even problems like alcoholism.
The spinoffs from biotechnology businesses are thus surprisingly varied and range far beyond creating wealth for the owners of the business. Read The Academic Entrepreneur Blog post about biotech in Florida for an example.
Tags: biotechnology business, knowledge business, spinoffs from biotechnology business
Posted in biotechnology, business, skills training | No Comments »
Healthcare and Infotech will Replace Construction Industry
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
“Is it okay to pray for a hurricane,” asks a real estate person at a steakhouse’s bar. Hurricanes destroy people’s lives but brings business to the construction sector. Down in the dumps with the steep decline in real estate sales, people in the construction industry are wondering in such strange ways.
The discussion at the bar reveals the career moves people in the industry are exploring. One person with years as a property appraiser is now studying to become a nurse. Three colleagues of a mortgage broker were also looking at nursing.
According to reports, there are about 40 percent less construction jobs in Florida now. Real estate agents and brokers have suffered much less with about 8 percent less jobs. Pays for those still hanging on are a fraction of what they used to be.
Read about the impact of economic recession in Florida and the experiences of construction workers at Tampa Bay Online.
Tags: construction industry, healthcare, retraining for new jobs, workers in a recession
Posted in business, recession, skills training | No Comments »
