When talking to our members and other businesses, we find that recruiting employees to fill current and future tech job openings is a major concern and challenge. Vermont has great jobs with great businesses and a great quality of life - so we have a good story to tell to attract potential employees to the Green Mountain state.
We identified a number of opportunities and prospective actions in our
Tech Job Recruitment Report and plan
we completed as part of our USDA business development grant. Chief among them was the creation of a website or landing page that can serve as a central source of information about tech opportunities in Vermont.
The Vermont Technology Alliance is proposing the development of a Vermont tech job recruitment website we're calling "Innov802." It will serve as a front door to attract and inform job seekers and telecommuters from outside the state about Vermont's tech businesses, career opportunities and quality of life, with the goal of attracting a tech workforce to help fill Vermont's tech jobs. We've defined the main elements, including a video, map, job listings and other resources, and will seek the funding support to make it happen.
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Summer means social and networking events. We recently held a networking event for invited leaders of tech businesses in Stowe. Coming up is a Tech & Bioscience Beer event on July 19 and our annual dinner cruise event is August 24. We're also planning an evening speaker event in partnership with Emboldia Sept. 28, and then October brings InnovationWeek and Tech Jam Oct. 20-21.
So keep on the lookout for these and other exciting tech events.
Jeff Couture
Executive Director, Vermont Technology Alliance
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Useful Links
We have sponsorship opportunities in our newsletter, for our Lunch & Learn and social events, on our website, and much more.
Click below to contact us!
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Road Pitch 2017
[July 3 - Aug 5, 2017 - Multiple Locations]
The third annual FreshTracks Road Pitch will be held at multiple locations in the state July 3 through August 4. Road Pitch is a five-day motorcycle tour of Vermont in which a "gang of business bikers" (comprised of investors, entrepreneurs and business advisors) ride around the state and stop in ten Vermont towns to listen to entrepreneurs pitch their business concepts.
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Introduction to Machine Learning
[July 12, 2017 - Main Street Landing, Burlington]
The Vermont Coders Connection present Sam Putnam, CEO of Enterprise Deep Learning of New Hampshire. He will provide an introduction to Machine Learning and its applications,
with particular emphasis on Healthcare, Finance, Energy, and Commerce.
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Waterbury Mini Maker Faire
[
July 15, 2017 - Waterbury]
The first Waterbury Mini Maker Faire will be held in downtown Waterbury, as part of the
Waterbury Arts Festival
. Makers are encouraged to share their creative, innovative projects.
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Vermont Technology Alliance's Annual Sunset Dinner Cruise
[August 24, 2017 - Spirit of Ethan Allen, Burlington]
 Set sail with the Vermont Technology Alliance and friends aboard the Spirit of Ethan Allen for our annual sunset cruise. Enjoy spirits and a plated dinner amid the spectacular setting of Lake Champlain. Come join us for an evening of food, fun and conversation.
Sign up for the vtTA Sunset Dinner Cruise.
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Vermont Technology in the News
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Cyber Threats Front and Center for Vermont's Biggest Organizations
[June 27, 2017 - Source: Burlington Free Press]
Two of Vermont's biggest businesses - the University of Vermont Medical Center and GlobalFoundries - were hit with recent phishing attacks, a reminder of the relentless efforts by hackers to break into information systems where they don't belong. At UVM Medical Center, the email accounts of two employees were accessed in late May and mid-June by third parties after the employees accidentally opened phishing messages that mimicked an official company communication. Vermont Public Radio first reported the attack on GlobalFoundries, saying a virus infected a number of manufacturing tools at the microchip facility in Essex Junction.
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New State Agency's Domain: Fixing Vermont's Tech Problems
[June 21, 2017 - Source: Seven Days]
Since the arrival of the digital age, the State of Vermont's IT employees and resources have been scattered across more than two dozen agencies and departments. As a result, the state lacks basic knowledge about its technology resources and has taken a haphazard approach to digital services that leaves the different IT fiefdoms duplicating one another's work. Gov. Phil Scott's administration says it began addressing that issue in April, when the governor's executive order turned the small department that oversaw some, but not all, of the state's IT work into an all-encompassing Agency of Digital Services.
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Report: Vermont Clean Energy Industry Continues Strong Job Growth
[June 19, 2017 - Source: Press Release/VTDigger]
The number of Vermonters working in the clean energy sector increased by 1,366 since last year, a 29 percent increase since 2013, according to a new report by the Clean Energy Development Fund (CEDF). The report says that there are over 19,000 Vermonters employed in clean energy, 12,000 of which are full time jobs. Vermont has the highest number of per capita clean energy workers of any U.S. state.
Read more about the Vermont Clean Energy Report.
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VECS Testifies at House Hearing on the Internet of Things
[June 19, 2017 - Source: Press Release]
 Vermont Energy Control System's (VECS) co-founder Bill Kuhns testified before the Digital Commerce & Consumer Protection Subcommitte hearing in Washington, DC in June at the annual Internet of Things (IoT) Showcase Event.
Kuhn's message to congress is that internet technology connected businesses need "as few barriers and impediments as possible for the evolution of this technology to proceed."
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Bluehouse Group Announces New Marketing Director, Commitment to Flexible Workplace
[June 16, 2017 - Source: Press Release]
Bluehouse Group, a digital marketing and web design firm, has hired Michelle Massa as the company's marketing director. Michelle brings nearly 20 years of marketing and business development experience in local and global markets. Bluehouse attracted Michelle, and hopes to attract and retain other employees, by providing a flexible work environment and convenient location at the Hood Plant building on South Winooski Avenue in Burlington.
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Assembly Required: Vermont Tech's New Manufacturing Degree Program Builds Better Workers
[June 16, 2017 - Source: Seven Days]
If Vermont manufacturers could design and assemble the ideal employee to join their future workforce, that person would look a lot like Ethan Guillemette, because he understands and speaks the language of advanced manufacturing. That means he can take a product from concept to design to prototype to mass production - skills that are highly valued in today's high-tech manufacturing environment. Guillemette is one of 10 students who just graduated from a new degree program at Vermont Technical College; the four-year bachelor of science in manufacturing engineering technology is the first of its kind in Vermont. Every member of the inaugural class has at least one job offer.
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Physician's Computer Company Releases First Pediatric-Specific ePrescribing Solution
[June 13, 2017 - Source: Press Release]
Physician's Computer Company (PCC), an independent software solutions firm exclusively working to meet the needs of independent pediatricians nationwide, announced that is has collaborated with First Databank (FDB), the leading provider of drug and medical device knowledge that helps healthcare professionals make precise decisions. The two companies have agreed to embed
FDB MedsTracker® eRx
, an electronic prescribing solution, directly into PCC's electronic health record designed specifically for pediatrics.
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IBM and GlobalFoundries Develop Smaller, More Powerful Chip
[June 6, 2017 - Burlington Free Press]
 The technology alliance formed by IBM and GlobalFoundries in 2014 is beginning to pay big dividends. IBM announced that, together with GlobalFoundries and Samsung, it has developed a process that will enable its suppliers to make 5-nanometer chips, half the size of the current leading-edge chips. The smaller chip is expected to deliver not only 40 percent more performance, but also 75 percent power savings. That would translate to batteries in smartphones and other mobile devices lasting up to three times longer between charges than they do today.
Read more about IBM and Globalfoundries technology announcement.
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Burlington Telecom Draws Eight Bids, None from Telecom Giants
[June 7, 2017 - Source: Seven Days]
The city of Burlington received eight bids for Burlington Telecom - and none came from the 10 biggest national telecoms, officials said Wednesday. Some city residents had objected to the idea of selling to a major outfit, said Burlington Telecom Advisory Board member David Provost. That fear won't be realized based on the letters of intent the board received ahead of Monday's deadline.
Read more about the Burlington Telecom bids.
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WalletHub: Vermont Top State for Working Moms
[May, 2017 - Source:WattetHub]
 WalletHub looked at resources in U.S states for working mothers and compared state dynamics across 13 metrics to identify the Best & Worst States for Working Moms. Vermont ranked as the best state in the top three categories of childcare, professional opportunities and work-life balance.
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Featured Member: Stone Environmental
Stone Environmental is an employee-owned company based in Montpelier, Vermont with a national reputation for deep data analysis, web mapping, and data visualization that closes the gap between data and information. Stone's mission is to provide tools, information, and analyses to help clients solve complex challenges across a variety of sectors, including environment, agriculture, coastal planning, resilience, and renewable energy.
Stone has the tools and expertise to extract knowledge from data using a variety of platforms and applications. The data analysis techniques that GIS can provide are more powerful and cost effective when users can apply them repeatedly for varying situations. Stone makes this possible by writing customized GIS tools and web-based applications for its clients.
Stone offers a wide-variety of geospatial and data services, including:
- Project planning, specification, design, and programming
- GIS analysis and mapping
- Environmental modeling
- Data visualization
- Relational database development and management
- Custom web-based and mobile solutions
- User interface and user experience (UI/UX) design
Stone's work is informed by three guiding principles: scientific integrity and innovation, respect and professionalism, and a focus on client needs. Stone strives to create a cohesive mesh between its service lines to form dynamic interdisciplinary work teams that offer clients a unique, synergistic, multidimensional suite of services to solve their complex problems.
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Useful Information & Links
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Champlain Maker Faire Call for Makers
The Champlain Maker Faire has an open call for makers for the Champlain Maker Faire this September and for other state maker events. Interested makers can apply
here. This year businesses are invited to exhibit as part of a Company Maker Challenge. To exhibit, apply here.
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Plan Now for Manufacturing Day
Don't wait until the last minute to plan your organization's open house for the annual Manufacturing Day on Oct. 6. Several Vermont companies participated in past year's MFG DAY events, and the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center is working to help get more participants involved. See a recent blog post here on how to get started. Questions? Please contact Robynn Albert, VMEC Marketing and Training Manager, (802) 793-2078 or [email protected].
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vtTA Career Center
Vermont Technology Alliance member companies are hiring, and when you visit the
Career Center
on the
Vermont Technology Alliance website
you can browse and search for these job openings
. The Career Center features about 200 tech and non-tech jobs with Vermont Technology Alliance member businesses.
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Workforce Training Funding from VT Department of Labor
Can't find qualified candidates to fill specialized positions? The Vermont Department of Labor offers funding through the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) to help employers defray the costs associated with training new employees through the On the Job Training program. For more details regarding these programs and others, please visit the
workforce development site
, or
contact Ann Carnell, Employer Resource Consultant at [email protected].
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Resources
Are you looking for business services, meet-up groups, government information or funding sources? Find this and more at vtTA's
Resources page
posted on the
Vermont Technology Alliance website
. And be sure to let us know if there's something we should add.
Find the resources page
here
.
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The vtTA Thanks Its Sponsors
Leadership Sponsors:
Sustaining Sponsors:
Partner sponsors:
Circle Technology Collective International
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© 2017 Vermont Technology Alliance | 70 South Winooski Ave., Box 270, Burlington, VT 05401 | (802) 735-0840
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