High-tech jobs go begging in Northeast Ohio

Posted by Mary Vanac March 29, 2007 19:38PM

Categories: Business

It was bound to happen.

 

Northeast Ohio and the state have invested some $800 million in the last five years to develop the region's high-technology sectors.

 

Now, some of the region's employers have developed shortages of high-tech workers.

 

An analysis of help-wanted postings in Northeast Ohio by development organizations BioEnterprise and NorTech points to about 5,000 health care and information technology jobs that are unfilled.

 

Not a bad problem for a region to have.

 

......

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/earlyedition/2007/03/hightech_jobs_go_begging_in_no.html

go cleveland economy go!

This kind of thing should be advertised in teh NY Times or Financial Times.  Who knows the jobs are available?  Place ads in cities like Vegas, New Orleans or Orlando.

^Good suggestion.. I just saw a commercial on CNN advertising Michigan to high-tech employers.. We should start ads there for the high-tech employees.

^Good suggestion.. I just saw a commercial on CNN advertising Michigan to high-tech employers.. We should start ads there for the high-tech employees.

Hello!  Paging MTS!!

^Good suggestion.. I just saw a commercial on CNN advertising Michigan to high-tech employers.. We should start ads there for the high-tech employees.

Hello!  Paging MTS!!

 

Yes?? (What is this, a pun from Bewitched?)

This kind of thing should be advertised in teh NY Times or Financial Times.  Who knows the jobs are available?  Place ads in cities like Vegas, New Orleans or Orlando.

 

Exactly let people know were here and were hiring! I was at a NSBE meeting this week and someone said "Atlanta got job opportunities like a mother." In some fields I guess Cleveland does to, but nobody knows about them.

FYI - Monster.com reports that Cleveland is #4 in year-over-year growth for online job postings....

 

http://alphabet.wordpress.com/2007/04/11/monster-ranks-cleveland-in-top-5/

 

http://clevelandrealestatenews.blogspot.com/2007/04/would-you-believe-cleveland-ranks-in.html

Shameless bump - to keep this issue in front of people.

hmm well i'm still looking for a flash design/development position... compared to other cities Cleveland seems to be lacking in a lot of these types of jobs. So yea... and then i just found this article and i think we're talking high-tech manufacturing here, which makes a lot of sense.

 

NorTech looks to play job matchmaker

By CHUCK SODER

10:30 am, April 18, 2007

 

 

.......

 

Maybe we need a "Flee to the Cleve" advertisement in the NYTimes, haha.

Maybe we need a "Flee to the Cleve" advertisement in the NYTimes, haha.

 

Seriously though, I could see an 'fine arts weekend' package. I'd feel better about it once Uptown is up and running. We have the best orchestra and a fantastic art museum. Fly to Cleveland for a Friday night at the orchestra, a Saturday morning at the West Side Market, an afternoon at the Art Museum, a Saturday night at the Cleveland Playhouse (any other ideas??), Sunday stroll through Lakeview Cemetery and an early evening flight back to home city.

Maybe we need a "Flee to the Cleve" advertisement in the NYTimes, haha.

 

Seriously though, I could see an 'fine arts weekend' package. I'd feel better about it once Uptown is up and running. We have the best orchestra and a fantastic art museum. Fly to Cleveland for a Friday night at the orchestra, a Saturday morning at the West Side Market, an afternoon at the Art Museum, a Saturday night at the Cleveland Playhouse (any other ideas??), Sunday stroll through Lakeview Cemetery and an early evening flight back to home city.

 

Well, in relevance to this article and statistic, I was referring to more long term--new residents to help fill the expanded vacancies. 

 

"We've done a terrible job of marketing ourselves as a booming tech region," Shah said.

 

"From the numbers we've seen, finding talent may be our growth-limiting step," said Dorothy Baunach, president and chief executive of NorTech

 

^but then I hear things from Case tech grads who say that they wanted to stay but that there just aren't the jobs here as there are in other cities.

 

Seriously though, I could see an 'fine arts weekend' package. I'd feel better about it once Uptown is up and running. We have the best orchestra and a fantastic art museum. Fly to Cleveland for a Friday night at the orchestra, a Saturday morning at the West Side Market, an afternoon at the Art Museum, a Saturday night at the Cleveland Playhouse (any other ideas??), Sunday stroll through Lakeview Cemetery and an early evening flight back to home city.

 

They still want to use "uptown"  :|

^but then I hear things from Case tech grads who say that they wanted to stay but that there just aren't the jobs here as there are in other cities.

 

Tell them to scroll the Nortech site or even Monster. Incredible. I should have studied IT when I was in college in the 1980s!

^but then I hear things from Case tech grads who say that they wanted to stay but that there just aren't the jobs here as there are in other cities.

 

Tell them to scroll the Nortech site or even Monster. Incredible. I should have studied IT when I was in college in the 1980s!

 

being a former jobseeker, monster blows, avoid at all costs.

Shameless bump.

I didn't know where to post this...so if anyone wants to repost, feel free.

 

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Leaders envision 'Tech Belt' connecting region to Cleveland

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

By Bill Toland, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

 

......

Maybe we need a "Flee to the Cleve" advertisement in the NYTimes, haha.

 

Seriously though, I could see an 'fine arts weekend' package. I'd feel better about it once Uptown is up and running. We have the best orchestra and a fantastic art museum. Fly to Cleveland for a Friday night at the orchestra, a Saturday morning at the West Side Market, an afternoon at the Art Museum, a Saturday night at the Cleveland Playhouse (any other ideas??), Sunday stroll through Lakeview Cemetery and an early evening flight back to home city.

 

Well, in relevance to this article and statistic, I was referring to more long term--new residents to help fill the expanded vacancies. 

 

"We've done a terrible job of marketing ourselves as a booming tech region," Shah said.

 

"From the numbers we've seen, finding talent may be our growth-limiting step," said Dorothy Baunach, president and chief executive of NorTech

 

 

totally agree, strike while the iron is hot while the "flee to the cleve" catch phrase is still somewhat capable of getting advertising mileage. i get so aggravated with the lack of press about cle and for that matter all of ohio --- who even knows it's there (in a national and world market)? for god sakes, i write this as a commercial for freakin the state of nebraska flashes across the screen on cable tv in nyc...  :shoot:

Even though it is in Westlake, this is great news:

 

Hyland Software to add 150 jobs

Posted by Shaheen Samavati November 01, 2007 12:23PM

Categories: Top Story

 

Roadell Hickman/The Plain Dealer

 

.......

 

Cross-posted from Business News.

 

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/business-4/119399258396190.xml&coll=2

 

Here is a longer version of the article.  Even points out that there are 8300 unfilled tech jobs in NEO, and 2800 are in IT.

Article mentions that they'll likely outgrow their current space by the end of 2008.  It'd be nice to see them move into the city instead of being out in Westlake.  Could be a nice anchor tenant for Stark or Wolstein...

That's amazing. You know what. There are companies doing some amazing things. I met with a small tech company in NEO this week that is forecasting two straight years of 100% growth! They draw on talent from all over the world to do what they do. It's really awesome. Companies like this should be the story.

Article mentions that they'll likely outgrow their current space by the end of 2008.  It'd be nice to see them move into the city instead of being out in Westlake.  Could be a nice anchor tenant for Stark or Wolstein...

 

That'd be nothing short of awesome. I hope Cleveland's economic development folks also knock on Hyland's doors.

 

That's amazing. You know what. There are companies doing some amazing things. I met with a small tech company in NEO this week that is forecasting two straight years of 100% growth! They draw on talent from all over the world to do what they do. It's really awesome. Companies like this should be the story.

 

If you share the company's name, I can help tell their story.

^A nice recap.  I'm really happy Hyland and BrandMuscle are doing well as is, but man would it be coup to get those guys into the city too.

I like Michelle Jarboe's reporting - she gets into details and I don't see a lot of negative editorializing so common with other Plain Dealer staffers (aka "Downtown Cleveland of America's Poorest City Becoming Technology Mecca"). Great article overall.

 

 

High-tech job growth roundtable meets Jan. 22

 

Mayors, local chambers of commerce and national strategists will meet at 6 p.m. Jan. 22 in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood for a private roundtable discussion on linking technology infrastructure and economic development. Municipal leaders interested in attending this event should call Chris Schaeffer at the Beta Strategy Group at (440) 484-2234.

 

The meeting will be at the Fahrenheit restaurant, 2417 Professor Ave. Community leaders will hear ideas on how to expand and reinvent their business attraction programs by marketing the broadband assets of Northeast Ohio.

 

Speaking at the event will be wireless expert Alan Perlman, chief executive officer and managing editor of Muniwireless.com as well as Cathy Horton, CEO of the Beta Strategy Group.

Jan. 31, 2008

 

Write of Way

Ken Prendergast

 

Old economy workers left out of new jobs

There are reasons to rejoice even as Greater Cleveland’s old smokestack economy continues to fade. Turns out the region is hitting home runs in fostering a technology-driven economy — bio-technology, health care, information technology, venture capital, alternative energy and the arts.

 

Those are all job sectors that demand creative minds and good salaries. That’s also good news for those of us who may never work in those booming job sectors. Just like the rest of us, people working in health care or computers still need to buy groceries, clothes and, of course, access to news and information.

 

The bad news is that unless we do something to improve the skills of Greater Cleveland’s labor force, then the higher-paying jobs may increasingly go to imported labor or, worse, employers may go elsewhere.

 

Natives who don’t update their skills may be relegated to providing imported workers’ day-to-day needs. For those who can’t afford reliable transportation, they may not find work at all.

 

Last year, development organizations BioEnterprise and NorTech analyzed help-wanted postings in Northeast Ohio and discovered more than 5,000 jobs in Greater Cleveland’s new economy went unfilled. Those organizations, plus the Northeast Ohio Software Association, said a lack of skilled workers is the top hindrance to growth in the high-tech sector.

 

On the down side, Progressive Insurance Corp. couldn’t find enough trained workers locally so it opened a $62 million office campus in Denver for up to 2,200 employees. On the positive side, an average of 100 workers start new jobs every Monday at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, many of whom come from outside Northeast Ohio, according to real estate firm Zaremba Co.

 

A check of the job relocation thread on the statewide message board UrbanOhio.com is revealing. Among all the metro areas represented on UrbanOhio’s forum, Cleveland dominates as the city to which most are seeking relocation assistance — for moving to Greater Cleveland.

 

Importing skilled workers is better than losing the jobs to other metropolitan areas. But hiring from within is ideal.

 

Area schools and training centers are trying to do their part. The Corporate College, plus the Polaris and Cuyahoga Valley career centers and others are trying to fill the skills gap with workforce education and professional development.

 

Public schools are also trying to catch up with the Cleveland Municipal Schools making some of the greatest headway with its medicine, health care, technology, design and arts curriculum.

 

In the absence of a state-level solution on school funding, local initiatives are having to come to the rescue. Among the most notable rescuers is the Fund for Our Economic Future, a collaboration of 65 philanthropic organizations.

 

Having an education and a job are perhaps the most beneficial “social programs.” They provide a path and a supply of hope and motivation to achieve personal goals. But transportation is nearly as important, for without a physical means to link people to opportunities, the region’s resources may as well not exist.

 

Few may realize it, but 25 percent of all households in the city of Cleveland have no car available, according to the U.S. Census. Anywhere from 7 percent to 15 percent of suburban households have no car, either. Many more households have just one car available and that car may not be reliable.

 

Jobs have moved to larger tracts of “clean and green land.” Such sprawling lands are typically beyond the reach of the region’s county-based public transit systems. Today, only 8 percent to 15 percent of Greater Cleveland’s available jobs are within a 40-minute bus ride of the average job seeker, Census data shows. Faster transit services and walkable land uses built near transit stops are essential to improve access to opportunities.

 

So what did state officials do to answer the need? Ohio funding for public transportation was cut from $40 million in 2001 to $16 million last year. Isolating the poor from job and educational opportunities is a sure way to exacerbate hopelessness, crime rates and taxes for prisons and unending social programs.

 

So much more is needed to help our region make a smoother transition from the old smokestack economy to the new technology economy. Education is just a start, especially when it comes to getting our elected officials to understand the context in which their actions, or lack thereof, are made.

Great article.

(This probably belongs in another thread, but I'm posting it here because I think it address something that KJP calls for. I think any advancements in getting Clevelanders more educated is exciting news.)

 

Bill Gates gives $12 million for specialized schools in Ohio

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Scott Stephens

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

.......

A check of the job relocation thread on the statewide message board UrbanOhio.com is revealing. Among all the metro areas represented on UrbanOhios forum, Cleveland dominates as the city to which most are seeking relocation assistance for moving to Greater Cleveland. 

 

I love that you were able to slip this little shoutout in there.

Write of Way

Ken Prendergast

 

Old economy workers left out of new jobs

 

Horrible article KJP, not one mention of "nation's poorest city"

True. I was worried that no one would believe anything I said in it if I didn't knock Cleveland at least once in my column.

"Oh, Cleveland's economy is poor" and "oh, one of the poorest cities in the nation". Meanwhile, buried deep within the PD as to not catch too much attention...

 

Employers say they plan to hire workers, increase pay

Posted by Alison Grant January 30, 2008 17:45PM

Categories: Workplace

 

......

I like both articles - going to see if I can find a link to the second one for my blog? To me this is good news. And the PD would never put that on page one.  Sorry, the Pee Dee.

It's a blog post. God knows they would be buried -  http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/01/employers_say_they_plan_to_hir.html

If it's a blog post, it also means it's not the full version. The full version will appear in tomorrow's print edition.

ok jpop, thanks for that tip. I did expand a bit with ERC stuff but this is some of the potentially best news we've had in a while no? Now if we can just capitalize on it. I want to read more about the gift monies to education from Gates. Btw a friend of mine just told me he retired last month; I missed that. From Micrsoft that is.

hmmm...

 

me thinks I should look for Cleveland for some IT/DS jobs :)

yeppers!

Northeast Ohio shows slight gain in high-tech jobs

Posted by Shaheen Samavati February 06, 2008 04:00AM

Categories: Breaking News, Impact

 

 

Click for graphic showing job growth in Northeast OhioThat's the optimistic way to interpret research that NorTech is releasing today. http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/02/06FGNEO.pdf

 

 

.....

Didn't see this posted yet:

 

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http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/03/wanted_workers_with_the_skills.html

 

Wanted: Workers with the skills for modern manufacturing

Posted by Frank Bentayou March 03, 2008 00:02AM

Categories: Breaking News, Impact

 

Marvin Fong/The Plain Dealer

 

Managers of some Northeast Ohio manufacturing plants have been making a claim that seems to defy logic. Yet, there's every reason to think they're telling the truth.

They say they're having trouble finding skilled workers. The problem is hindering their businesses.

 

But hold on. Haven't industrial jobs been swirling down an open drain here for years as plants close or move? Wouldn't it seem there should be experienced out-of-work machinists, welders and assembly personnel eager to snap up available jobs?

 

The answers: yes and yes. But changes in manufacturing have reshaped factory protocols and job descriptions worldwide in recent decades. The process has shaken up plants from China to Japan to Ohio.

 

.......

 

"There are good jobs in the trades here," Rasmus said. "Graduates can make good money and build real security. It just takes the right kind of person and the right kind of training. Ohio needs a lot more of that."

 

Just another case for getting an education, whether you're in the manufacturing field or elsewhere. Higher education is needed in today's economy.

 

And people will cry that there are no jobs for them. That might be true to an extent, but I feel what a lot of people are really saying is that they refuse to get an education. And I think that's sad.

It doesn't help that the cost of that education has skyrocketed these days, even with financial aid.

Very true. But I thought Cleveland had an excellent scholarship program, no?

For some.  But giving scholarships to the top 1% (or even top 5%) doesn't do much for the education of the population as a whole.

Yeah. But doesn't Tri-C offer training like this? And you can hardly call Tri-C expensive .. at least not compared to your typical 4 year liberal arts college.

 

I'm not saying it's easy. But people need to start pursuing it. There are things people can do to get there.

This would be more of a sociological discussion for another thread.  I partially agree with you, but it's not as simple as a lot of people think.

This matches up with what I've noticed with a number of my clients. They can't find people with the requisite technical skills to fill the jobs they have opened. Specific skills in high demand are CNC Machining and CAD skills (even basic ones). It would seem that these are skills that require retraining, but not necessarily a 2 or 4 year degree. Just because someone doesn't want to (or can't) go to college, doesn't preclude them from getting some vocational / technical training.

 

Personally, I say if there is such a dearth of skilled employees, then the employers should work to create or subsidize programs to train the work force with the skills they need. Wringing your hands about the lack of qualified people only goes so far.