IBM Canada Ramps Up Hiring

05 Mar 2013

The new IBM Canada Services Delivery Centre opened in Bedford on Monday with about 90 staff on hand and an aggressive recruitment campaign underway.

“We’re reaching out to local people and to people from away, and we’re also working closely with our seven partners in post-secondary education in Nova Scotia,” delivery centre manager Chris MacIntosh said in an interview.

IBM already had about 15 people working in Bedford at the BlackBerry complex at 50 Innovation Dr.

When the IBM centre officially opened for business Monday, about 32 former Nova Scotia government employees and 27 new workers were welcomed to the IBM fold by an assortment of company employees who have joined the Nova Scotia operation.

It is a move back home for MacIntosh, a native of South Harbour, Victoria County, and some of the new hires from elsewhere in Canada.

“We have a mix of new and existing IBM employees who are moving back to Nova Scotia or who are moving here for the first time,” MacIntosh said.

The plan is for IBM to ramp up to 500 employees within five years. Most of the workers will have a mix of business and technology skills and eventually there will be a demand for workers trained in business analytics.

The provincial government is one of the first clients at the Bedford centre, but the company has ambitious plans.

Most eyes of IBM’s national operations were on Nova Scotia on Monday for the opening. This will continue into the foreseeable future, Dave McCann, associate partner of global business services with IBM Canada, said in an interview.

 “The centre here in Nova Scotia is a major focus area for IBM Canada for 2013 and going forward,” McCann said.

IBM has aggressive marketing plans for the centre and will continue to maintain its presence at the Purdy’s Wharf complex in Halifax. Several Sydney employees will work from their existing offices or take advantage of IBM’s flexible work options.

“We are looking to grow here in Atlantic Canada, and also want to attract business to Nova Scotia from across Canada and throughout North America,” McCann said.

Alison Gerhard, the centre’s human resources and operations manager, said lots of “displaced easterners” and other skilled workers from across Canada responded to recent job postings. Gerhard did not want to reveal numbers but said IBM has received a “very strong response” to jobs posted to date.

This was expected to intensify as the company amplifies its search for new graduates of post-secondary institutions through traditional hiring channels and social media. Existing staffers get paid a bonus if they attract a recruit.

Lynn Clark, service area manager, said the new workers will likely be impressed with what IBM offers in terms of career and skills development.

“Career growth is a big thing with IBM.”

Source: http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/859080-ibm-canada-ramps-up-hiring