Dakota Software joins roundtable to promote Tech growth in Northeast Ohio

06/16/2016

Author: Julie Fratus

Dakota Software took part in a recent roundtable discussion with U.S. Secretary of Labor, Thomas Perez, and Cuyahoga County Executive, Armond Budish, to discuss Workforce Development efforts in Northeast Ohio. The roundtable met on June 6, 2016 to discuss early successes in the Sector Partnership Project in the areas of Advanced Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Information Technology.

The Sector Partnership Project is a 2-year pilot project to train dislocated workers in Northeast Ohio and is funded by a grant awarded to the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County Workforce Development Board from the U.S. Department of Labor, through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). The roundtable was assembled by the Sector Partnership Project leader, Ohio Means Jobs | Cleveland-Cuyahoga County (OMJ|CC), and industry sector leaders Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network (MAGNET), NewBridge Cleveland Center for the Arts and Technology, and the Regional Information Technology Engagement (RITE) Board.

The RITE Board is a regional collaboration of senior IT executives, educational leaders, and industry organizations that are committed to IT career development. Dakota Software has played a key role in designing and adopting the Talent NEO initiative which aims to connect displaced workers and employers through a skills-based hiring process within the Information Technology sector.

Additionally, Dakota Software has supported regional efforts to introduce experienced workers to careers in Information Technology by partnering with local coding bootcamps. Dakota Software is an employer partner with We Can Code IT, Tech Elevator, the Software Guild, and Cleveland Codes.

Cleveland Codes is a newly created program through Cuyahoga Community College that is a direct result of the Sector Partnership Project. “Hiring from these organizations not only supports the efforts of workforce development in the region, which seek to minimize the growing gap between the supply of and demand for technical talent, but enhances the ability of the company to be agile in a dynamic industry and fuel our team with mature, skilled talent,” stated Julie Fratus, Manager of Talent Acquisition at Dakota Software.

During the visit, Secretary Perez announced the availability of approximately $100 million in America’s Promise Job-Driven Grants to develop and grow regional partnerships between workforce agencies, education and training providers, and employers in a variety of industries, including Information Technology. Dakota Software will continue to support and promote the RITE Board and other organizations in Information Technology that focus on Workforce Development programming in the region.