Arizona Technology Report Feb. – May 2O12 aztechcouncil.org
Arizona Technology Council: The Voice of the Technology Industry
In This Issue Arizona SciTech Festival ... Pg. 2 Governor's Celebration ... Pg. 4 10th Anniversary ... Pg. 6
Who We Are The Arizona Technology Council is Arizona’s premier trade association for science and technology companies.
Phoenix Office
One Renaissance Square 2 N. Central Ave., Suite 750 Phoenix, Arizona 85004 Phone: 602-343-8324 Fax: 602-343-8330 info@aztechcouncil.org
Tucson Office
The University of Arizona Science and Technology Park 9040 S. Rita Road, Suite 1150 (near I-10 and Rita Road) Tucson, Arizona 85747 Phone: 520-829-3440 Fax: 520-829-3441 tucson@aztechcouncil.org
President’s Message As head of the largest association that supports Arizona’s technology industry, I was constantly hearing about the difficulty of finding talent for the state’s technology firms. Apparently, we’re not alone. We recently announced the results of the first study to document the hiring practices and recruiting experiences among the companies. The research conducted over 15 months by the L. William Seidman Research Institute at the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University found some employers reported the problem wasn’t job candidates not wanting to move to Arizona. In some cases, they didn’t want to move – period. Further, 67 percent of the Arizona companies found it difficult to attract qualified engineers, 76 percent were challenged to get the computer scientists they need and 98 percent said they had a hard time finding scientists Steven G. Zylstra, who could do the job—not so President and CEO, Arizona Technology Council good if we need talent to drive our futures. So what do we do? A key recommendation of the study is companies should be more willing to start growing their own talent to get the required experience. Related to that is hiring recent graduates with hands-on experience gained through internships and capstone-like courses. To help, the report suggested companies connect with Arizona’s universities, colleges and training programs. Besides providing employers with the
students possessing the needed skills, the institutions are willing to collaborate with companies to provide the specific training needed to fill open positions. For example, Maricopa Community Colleges already are moving in that direction. The district is designing an apprenticeship program that will give both the hands-on experience as well as credentials that demonstrate a certain level of technical competency. Even now, employers can reach out to the Workforce System that is part of the Arizona Commerce Authority to help find qualified talent. The state’s prosperity depends on cultivating a technology network that produces quality homegrown talent and keeps that talent in state. Of total recent hires, 32.3 percent of computer scientists, 43.7 percent of engineers and 24.7 percent of scientists earned a degree from an Arizona institution. Those numbers have the chance to shift higher, as the study revealed companies starting to focus on “new blood”—recent college graduates that the firms hire, train, and promote from within. This is definitely a worthwhile tool for recruitment. I view our study as nothing to sit on a shelf, but instead a call to action. With the goal of solidifying Arizona’s position as a tech leader, putting a focus on producing and retaining science and engineering talent will attract increasing numbers of businesses to our state that will employ innovative workers and ultimately breed new technological advances. In Business Magazine readers are invited to view the study’s results by visiting our web site, www.aztechcouncil.org. The challenge is big, but as a community we can help ensure a better future for generations to come.
Management and Staff Steven G. Zylstra
Jamy Battle
Ron Schott
Don Ruedy
President and CEO
Director, Finance and Administration
Executive Emeritus
Executive Emeritus, Tucson Office
Deborah Zack
Leigh Goldstein
Jim Harris
Phillip Huebner
Director, Membership Services
Managing Director, Programs and Events
Director, Tucson Office
Director, Arizona Science and Engineering Fair
Merry Lake Merrell
Don Rodriguez
Justin Williams
Director, Marketing and Communication
Editor, TechConnect
Executive Emeritus, Tucson Office
Jeremy Babendure, Ph.D. Director, Arizona SciTech Festival
aztechcouncil.org
Arizona Technology Report
1