Tech council's database to help fight 'war for talent'

Andrew Johnson
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 16, 2007 12:00 AM

High-tech companies in Arizona say they are having difficulty finding, attracting and retaining qualified workers to fill key technical positions.

As recruiting costs rise and wage competition stiffens, the Arizona Technology Council wants to minimize the divide with a new program that can match workers and their skill sets with jobs.

The TechTalent Repository is an online database where workers will be able to create a profile based on their skill sets. Employers will be able to use the database to find potential job candidates who meet specific qualifications.

Demand for high-tech workers in the Valley is expected to increase. Key high-tech segments seeking workers include advanced materials, aerospace and defense, electronics and instruments, information and telecommunication services, and semiconductors and computer hardware.

The number of technicians in such industries in Arizona was expected to increase from 14,600 to 18,000 within two years, according to a study released in December 2005 by the Maricopa County Community College District and Salt River Project.

"We are really in a war for talent, and there isn't another mechanism in here in this state that does anything like this," said Donna Kent, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council.

The Tempe-based organization decided to start the program after several members expressed concerns over what they saw as a lack of workers with specific technical skills, Kent said. The program is open for potential interns to create profiles on the council's Web site, www.aztechcouncil.org.

The TechTalent Repository's history dates to about two years ago, when the council partnered with Phoenix-based IdealHire Inc. to build an online job board for its members. Kent said that project failed to take off because companies were not able to easily find job candidates with skills they needed.

IdealHire, which uses patented technology to create tools that help employers increase efficiency in hiring practices, is partnering with the council once again on the repository. This time around, the company set up the database so that employers can search for workers based on specific criteria.

"The thought process was, 'Let's give them a tool that will describe their key shortages in skills and talents and then let's use this tool to evaluate the existing talent that we have in the state,' " said Rephael Inbar, CEO of IdealHire.

Workers in demand

Executives at Scottsdale-based VIACK Corp. say they have felt the pinch when it comes to finding technical workers.

"I think everybody is having the same issues. Everyone wants top-quality people, (but) the top-quality people can basically go anywhere they want to," said Lois Koenig, vice president of administration and human resources.

The company, which provides software for conducting meetings in real time, has about 100 employees among their Scottsdale, Washington, D.C., and Redmond, Wash., locations.

Although finding qualified workers to fill engineering and client services positions has been difficult, a more pressing obstacle for VIACK has been salary competition, Koenig said.

It is difficult for a company of VIACK's size to compete with larger technology companies who can offer candidates higher pay, she said. In addition, the most-qualified candidates are typically contemplating two or more job offers.

"They come in. They're comparing. They've got the offers. They'll ask us frequently, 'Could you hold off, I'm waiting for (another offer),' " she said. "It's an applicant's market now."

A tool like the TechTalent Repository could benefit companies like VIACK, Koenig said, but it will not be an end-all solution.

Summer internships

The technology council still faces a hurdle to get off the ground and running. Although the program is built and open for potential interns to create profiles, Kent said the organization still needs about $150,000 to launch a full pilot program.

Kent said she expects to secure the funding from about 40 companies, Maricopa Workforce Connections, Maricopa Community Colleges and others in the next few weeks.

Since the database went live this week, about 60 potential interns have created profiles on the site, Kent said.

The council hopes to place about 100 students in summer internships at technology companies around the state, Kent said. Only council members will be able to use the site to find interns. The larger pilot will be open to outside companies.

"I believe what we have created is something that really hits multiple prongs," Kent said. "It reduces the cost of . . . screening. It does the screening, which is huge, and then it really allows you to focus on the skills and the talent and put your money (toward job candidates), as it should be."

Tip of the problem

Although wages are an issue - Phoenix has lagged behind other metropolitan areas of its size when it comes to wages - ensuring that enough people come out of college with the skills necessary to fill high-technology positions is vital.

"I think the bigger problem is not so much a local problem as it is a national problem," said Tom Rex, associate director of the Center for Competitiveness and Prosperity Research at Arizona State University. "We are not turning out enough people who have these kinds of skills."

The TechTalent Repository "sounds like it would be a positive step," Rex said. "Ultimately, at some point, this country as a whole really needs to address the fact that we're just not stressing some of the sorts of things that is seems the new economy is really needing."

Mohan Tanniru, chair of the management information systems department in the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management, said he hopes the repository will help his students land practical learning experiences.

"I'm hoping that this concept would at least enable the companies to view our educating programs as a potential resource," Tanniru said.

Reach the reporter at andrew.

johnson@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8280. Read his entrepreneurs blog at bizblogs.azcentral.com.

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