Looking Ahead to Upcoming In-Person Events
Welcome to summer in the Green Mountain State. With Vermont exceeding an 80% vaccination rate and the Governor formally lifting all COVID-19 restrictions, we once again have the opportunity to gather together. With this good news the VTTA will host its traditional Lake Champlain cruise networking event on the Spirit of Ethan Allen. Mark your calendars for Thursday, Sept. 9 for this fun event – details and ticket availability will be announced soon.
And looking ahead, we’re also pleased to partner again with Seven Days for the return of the Vermont Tech Jam. Save the date for this event that will be held Oct. 23 at Hula Lakeside.
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Cloud Computing Training
As mentioned in the last newsletter, The Vermont Technology Alliance is part of a collaboration with Amazon and the Vermont Department of Labor to provide cloud computing training and education to thousands of learners statewide by 2024. We’re working with the AWS Academy program to provide a no-cost cloud computing curriculum that prepares students for industry-recognized AWS Certifications. Amazon is looking to connect with Vermont-based companies who have a need for cloud-skilled talent. This could include networking, software development, programming, IT Service Management, Project Management, Data Analytics, and more.
So far, about 10 businesses have offered to connect with the Amazon team to find out more and how the curriculum could be mapped to fit their skill needs. If your business is interested in finding out more about this program, send an email to jeff@vtta.org or admin@vtta.org. There is no obligation or commitment; this is just for information sharing and gathering.
Thank you for staying connected with the Vermont Technology Alliance.
Jeff Couture
Executive Director
Vermont Technology Alliance
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Strategic Innovation and Disaster Planning for the Future
(June 24, 2021)
In this Lunch & Learn event sponsored by VCET, join father and daughter organizational development consultants Peter and Alexa Cole of Cole Consulting to learn systems and strategies that will help both you and your team manage whatever comes your way, and have fun doing it.
Find more information here.
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Vermont Technology Alliance's Cruise Event
(September 9, 2021 – Spirit of Ethan Allen)
Save the date of Sept. 9 for the return of our annual networking cruise event on Lake Champlain Plan to join the Vermont Technology Alliance and friends aboard the Spirit of Ethan Allen for a fun and informal summer networking event. Details and registration coming soon.
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Crossing the Generational Divide with Jason Dorsey
(June 25, 2021)
Jason Dorsey, Leading speaker on Gen Z and Millennials topics and an industry leader Adweek calls a “research guru,” will give a virtual presentation on Crossing the Generational Divide: Unlocking the Potential of Every Generation. The session is presented by the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC).
Find more and register here.
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Featured Member – Scout Digital
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At Scout Digital, they believe the internet of the future will be watched, not read. They can prepare you for this future through great user experience, motion graphics, and video. They believe that if you are looking to drive emotion and create an online identity that will truly move your customers to purchase your product or service, then they are the team for you.
Their services include:
Video Production – providing content stacks enable their clients to access monthly, high-quality, consistently branded video marketing.
Design + UX – They enhance their clients’ online identity through visual design, usability, and developing for accessibility and high-performance.
Digital Marketing – They deliver full-service online marketing, leveraging all digital channels to connect clients with current and future customers.
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Report says Vermont has 528 Cybersecurity Job Openings and a Cybersecurity Workforce of 1620
(June 21, 2021)
Cyberseek, an organization formed to draw attention to cybersecurity career opportunities, reports that Vermont has 528 cybersecurity job openings and a total employed cybersecurity workforce of 1620.
The numbers are part of a “heat map” of the United States produced by Cyberseek, an organization formed by Burning Glass Technologies, CompTIA, and the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) to provide data about supply and demand in the cybersecurity job market.
“This interactive heat map provides a granular snapshot of demand and supply data for cybersecurity jobs at the state and metro area levels, and can be used to grasp the challenges and opportunities facing your local cybersecurity workforce.”
Cyberseek reports that there are 464,420 total cybersecurity job openings across the country, and that these numbers reflect a U.S. job market that was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Vermont Virtual Educational Platform InSpace Receives $6M in Seed Funding
(June 16, 2021 – InSpace)
InSpace, a collaborative video conferencing platform that replicates personal interaction between students and teachers in virtual classrooms, announced that the company has closed on $6 million in two rounds of seed funding.
The funding is led by a $2.6 million investment from venture capital firm Boston Seed Capital and $1.5 million each from Gutbrain Ventures and PBJ Capital, in addition to other investors. The seed funding will expand educator support to keep pace with rapid growth and establish a resource network for users to share ideas and successes. Other improvements include streamlined registration and payment.
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A Fiber Broadband Network Could be Coming to Alburgh
(June 15, 2021 – VTDigger)
Alburgh plans to offer fiber broadband internet to nearly all homes in town through a partnership with New Jersey-based Matrix Design Group.
Voters authorized the town select board to sign a memorandum of understanding with the company in May, and the document is now under review by the town attorney. Alburgh has also formed a broadband advisory committee.
Residents would pay $95 a month for a connection with speeds of up to 100 megabits per second or $155 a month for double that speed, according to the proposal.
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IBM Sues GlobalFoundries for $1.5B Over Alleged Breach of Contract
(June 15, 2021 – Associated Press)
IBM has filed a civil lawsuit against the company it sold a manufacturing plant to for $1.5 billion over an alleged breach of contract because the company never produced the microchips it promised in the sale.
The lawsuit filed in New York State court said IBM sold GlobalFoundries its Essex Junction microchip plant and paid the company $1.5 billion to manufacture high-performance microchips that are essential to its business, The Burlington Free Press reported.
IBM said it wants the $1.5 billion back plus damages because GlobalFoundries hasn’t complied with the terms of their agreement. IBM alleges GlobalFoundries has misused the funds and ultimately never produced the product.
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BETA Technologies Develops Charging Pads for its Aircraft
(May 26, 2021 – Burlington Free Press)
The BETA Technologies Charging Pad sits on the tarmac outside of the company's hangar at Burlington International Airport, where BETA continues to develop its ALIA electric aircraft.
As BETA announced, it is planning to build a 270,000-square-foot production facility on another site at the airport that will employ as many as 800 people when fully up and running.
Along with its aircraft, BETA is also thinking in terms of the infrastructure required to make the ALIA a success. Once pilots, crews and passengers are flying the ALIA, they'll need a place to recharge both the aircraft and themselves. That's where the Charging Pad comes in.
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More Vermonters Want to Work from Home After the Pandemic, Survey Shows
(May 27, 2021 – VTDigger)
A new survey from the University of Vermont suggests that interest in working remotely has risen during the pandemic.
One year ago, the Center for Research on Vermont conducted a survey that showed 55% of Vermonters wanted to work from home after the pandemic was over.
Now, 75% of respondents say they expect to work from home more often after the pandemic is over.
The survey of more than 400 Vermonters was conducted over two weeks in May and represents “a slice of Vermonters who have the ability to work from home and generally have been during the pandemic,” according to a news release about the results.
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Lisa Dion Leads Wave of Fearless Girl Coders in Vermont
(UVM)
UVM lecturer Lisa Dion collaborates with faculty members in computer science and the College of Education and Social Services to address the dearth of teachers certified to teach CS to junior high and senior high schools in Vermont.
She had also taught classes for the national organization Girls Who Code. When she discovered there wasn’t a chapter in Vermont, she formed one.
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Vermont Technology Alliance Membership Update
The Vermont Technology Alliance works on behalf of its members and is able to carry out its mission through the support of its membership.
Renewing members: Renewing members include Faraday, and individuals David Gerns (Dell EMC Corporation) and Robert Sparadeo (LEDdynamics).
Not a vtTA member yet? Then why not join now? Find more information here, or sign up at our new member registration page here. You can also contact us at admin@vtta.org.
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Useful Information & Links |
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Leaders for Equity and Equal Pay (LEEP) Toolkit Announced
The organization Change The Story announced a free Leaders for Equity and Equal Pay (LEEP) Toolkit that can be downloaded from their website.
This new pay equity toolkit contains an excel-based Equity Management Tool, a companion Pay Equity Playbook, and additional interactive templates, worksheets and rubrics that together provide small to midsize employers with the information and methodology needed to conduct in-house, ongoing gender and racial pay equity reviews. The full color, 60-page Playbook offers a wealth of information for anyone interested in learning more about compensation philosophy and building organizational equity.
Find more information here.
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VMEC Offers Noontime Knowledge Series.
This summer VMEC is offering free noontime presentations on a wide range of subjects such as Innovation Engineering, Lean Management Systems, Quality, Cybersecurity, Continuous Improvement, Training Within Industry (TWI) and Export Sales.
Check their Training page for topic names that begin with "Noontime Knowledge" and sign up for one or more of these 45-minute sessions.
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Virtual Summer Camps at Black River Innovation Campus
Thanks to a Summer Matters for All Grant, the Black River Innovation Campus is offering free virtual camp offerings for Vermont K-12 students.
The first announced sessions are a one-week “Minecraft Camp,” and a two-week “Unreal Game Design.” BRIC will announce more summer camps and youth-oriented workshops will be announced in the coming weeks.
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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 and subscribe to updates. The Career Center typically has 150 - 200 tech and non-tech jobs with Vermont Technology Alliance member businesses and organizations. Jobs available from vtTA members are listed at no charge in the Career Center as a member benefit.
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The vtTA Thanks Its Member/Sponsors |
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