Back At Work – June 29, 2010

Dear colleagues:

We hope you heard the good economic development news last week:  Unisys Corporation is bringing 300 new IT jobs to St. Louis, with 75 expected to be available as early as this fall.    

You missed an interesting sidebar to the story if you weren’t in attendance at Thursday’s press conference, however.  A reporter commented that most of the jobs Unisys is bringing to this area will support government contracts, and government spending (the reporter said) appears to be on the decline. 

Governor Jay Nixon had a new-economy response to that old-economy question:  Information Technology is the tool that enables government to work smarter for less, and so investing in the jobs and the talent that will help government be more efficient is exactly what we should be doing as we move into a period of sustained fiscal restraint. 

IT is transforming government.  We can all probably appreciate that. 

The transformative effect of information technology is accelerating in the private sector, as well.  Think about all the new rules and regulations that will take effect when the federal financial overhaul legislation is passed.  Affected companies won’t be able to dot the i’s or cross the t’s without access to the latest information management systems.  There will be more good jobs because of it, too.  Financial business analysts, compliance officers, auditors, and bank examiners are already in increased demand.   

We can all probably agree that’s a good thing. 

It’s harder to know exactly what to think about some of the other technology-driven trends on the horizon of the new economy, however. This week-end’s New York Times described a few: medical assistants that are actually avatars of considerable artificial intelligence; voice-recognition software with people-sounding names that replace human call-center workers; bendable computers that you can roll up, put in your pocket, and unroll at your convenience.  There are both risks and opportunities for IT professionals in these developments.  The Times observed: “artificial intelligence … should also generate new jobs, even as it displaces others.  The smart machines of the future will need programming, servicing, and upgrading – work done, perhaps, by a new class of digital technicians.”  (“Jobs Created and Displaced,” by Steve Lohr. New York Times, June 25, 2010.)

The ripple effects will be vast for our workforce. The New York Times continues: “Smarter computing technology, experts say, ought to make the most skilled workers – in science, the arts, and business — even more productive and prosperous by freeing them from routine tasks.  Their prosperity translates to spending that creates jobs in stores, schools, gyms, construction, and elsewhere.”

The critical role that technology plays in economic restructuring is one of the reasons why BounceBack St. Louis has put so much energy into finding ways to ensure that our IT workforce remains strong.  Staying on top of changing conditions, watching some jobs come and others go, hasn’t been easy.  But, like you, we’re always looking for ways to make it work.    

In the next few weeks you’ll be hearing about how BounceBack St. Louis is responding with a variety of programs for the 2010-2011 year that starts in July.  In the meantime, we hope you will stay in touch through www.bouncebackstl.org and the St. Louis Job Angels group on LinkedIn.  Please consider getting involved in some of the activities and events that have been organized by our partners, listed below, as well. 

Thanks for being our friends and colleagues during the past year.  We’ll see you soon.   The BounceBack Team

• July 8    Announcing the new and out-of-the-box “Initiative for Creative Comebacks”

Sponsors and partners of Gateway to Innovation (including SIM, CAIT, HIMSS, CIO Board, IT Coalition), BounceBack St. Louis, the RCGA, and more will roll-out the “Initiative for Creative Comebacks” — a year-long series of experiences to support professionals who want to learn to think differently about their futures.  Creative Comebacks is about developing potential, making music, acting out, mining for meaning, and talking about it.

Intrigued?  Learn what it’s all about at the free kick-off event from 5 until 6:30 pm at the Saint Louis Science Center, 5050 Oakland.  Pre-register please at http://rcgasurvey.stlrcga.org/registrations/CreativeComeback.asp 

• July 13  The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce presents: “The Retirement Red Zone”

If you are changing jobs, retiring soon, recently retired or are simply concerned about both growing and protecting your retirement assets, please consider attending the Retirement Red Zone seminar at the Technology & Resource Center, 3611 S. Grand Blvd., on Tuesday, July 13.   A complimentary continental breakfast will be available from 7:30 – 8:00 am, followed by the program from 8:00 – 9:30 am.

In addition to learning valuable information about planning for retirement, there will also be a representative from the Social Security Administration to discuss social security and its place in retirement planning.  The complimentary program is made possible by Prudential and is presented by the HCC STL Foundation.  Make your reservation by clicking here.

• Between now and July 16   On-line Survey for Displaced Talent

The State of Missouri, St. Louis Community College and the Workforce Boards of St. Louis City and County are partnering to develop the “State of St. Louis Workforce Report 2010” to be completed and disseminated by early fall.  An important part of this report will be the results of a survey of individuals who have lost their jobs in the economic downturn and have sought services from the workforce system.

The survey encourages displaced workers to tell the sponsors which services and resources are working well for them, what could be improved and what programs or services should be developed that will be beneficial to them as they prepare for new careers.  It will provide important background for their strategic planning efforts.

You can help by completing the survey before the deadline of July 16.  Please copy the address that follows into your browser. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5X9KV5T

• August 20-21   St. Louis Day of .NET

The St. Louis .NET User Group is organizing another outstanding ‘Day of .NET,” which will take place on Friday and Saturday, August 20- 21, 2010.  They are currently seeking volunteers and they would love for some of them to represent the quality talent pool of BounceBack.  This event will be your opportunity to see first-hand what’s new in the .NET development community. You will have the chance to listen to topics about ideas and issues you face on a daily basis. You will have the chance to be part of something big, to contribute to your local community, and to come to the conference – for FREE! (Everybody else pays $200).

Volunteers will be expected to attend the mandatory Orientation meeting on Thursday, August 19th. And participate in at least one four-hour shift on either Friday or Saturday of the conference.  For more info, or to sign up, contact Volunteer Coordinator, Jessica Rollberg, at volunteers@stlouisdayofdotnet.com and enter “Volunteer Effort” into the subject header.

Back to Work – May 27th

Back To Work

Hello, colleagues.  I hope all is well.

Your BounceBack St. Louis team has been taking a close look at our program of late, intending to start our new year on July 1 with the best possible support network in place for our friends whose full-time job these days is finding a new one.  We are enthusiastic about the plan we’ve put together.  It includes:

And, we’re working on a plan with your fans and supporters from Gateway to Innovation about a new initiative that will encourage and stimulate “Creative Come-Backs.”  Yes, really cool creative comebacks.  Stay tuned….

If you have specific recommendations for the BounceBack Team, now is a great time to share them with us.  As you know, we are all in this together.

Please reach out to Sheila Burkett atSheila@tuxedoparkmgmt.com or Blair Forlaw atbforlaw@stlrcga.org with any comments you might have.

Thanks from the BounceBack Team.