N.S. IT sector ‘screaming for talent’
Truro’s NSCC courses biggest source of employees for Bedford firm
truro
Young people graduating from Information Technology programs like those at Truro’s Nova Scotia Community College should have no problem finding work.
“It’s a war for talent,” says Michael Johnston. “We are screaming for talent. There is an industry shortage for programmers. I am constantly short about five to 10 people.”
Johnston, originally from Truro, is now CEO of Red Space, an IT business in Bedford with 150 employees doing cuttingedge projects, with clients like Sony, MTV, Nickelodeon, the Cartoon Network, Marvel and Bravo.
Johnston spoke recently at the Truro NSCC at the invitation of the Truro and Colchester Chamber of Commerce.
IT grads are in demand, he said, not just in IT businesses but industries need people who can program, manage databases
or otherwise look after a company’s computing applications.
To make his company more enticing he has outfitted the Red Space offices in the Sunnyside Mall with a gym and showers, a sauna, fireplace lounge, beanbag chairs, game consoles, and free coffee, tea and snacks.
Nova Scotians are aware that the digital industry is a $1.5-billion industry in this province.” Ashley Hasler knows. The Thorburn student will graduate from the School of IT this April and hopes to land an IT job in Nova Scotia.
“I’ve known about Red Space for awhile,” she said. “They’re the reason I got started in the program. A friend of a friend works for them and I only hear good things.”
Jessie Colborne, a Grade 11 stu-
“We’ve built a Google-like work space in Nova Scotia,” says Johnston. “If I spend $10,000 on gym equipment, that’s equal to one head hunter’s fee, so if I attract one hire that way, it’s worth it.”
Johnston says the average age of his employees is under 30 and the average salary is “North of 60K.” Half his employees have university backgrounds and
dent at CEC, also came to a talk by Michael Johnston, CEO of Red Space, to learn about opportunities in digital animation.
She is enrolled in the arts program at CEC and loves the self-expression that comes with drawing.
“When I discovered digital drawing on a tablet I knew instantly I loved it,” said Colborne. She’s interested in studying digital animation at NSCC and Johnston’s talk convinced her it’s a good idea. half have a college education.
He says people coming out of Truro’s School of IT are immediately employable.
“The NSCC in Truro is our single greatest source of talent,” said Johnston. “The colleges have a mandate to graduate employable people. I sit on a round table advising the academic chair on industry trends about what employers are looking for, and the School of IT has been immediately responsive in ways the undergraduate universities aren’t.”
Johnston would like to grow his company but the challenge is finding enough senior developers to lead his project teams.
“There is a perception that there isn’t a lot going on here in Nova Scotia, so it is hard to attract senior people back. They want to come home but they’re worried. In Toronto there are dozens of places they could move around to but if they take a job with Red Space and it doesn’t work out, they think they don’t have any options here.”
Sebastien Martell, a Grade 11 student at North Colchester High School, also attended the talk hoping for some inspiration as he tries to figure out what to do with his life.
These days he’s considering aviation, either flying or building planes, or a career in IT.
“I was really happy to hear about the digital industry here, to hear it’s growing, to hear there are jobs, lots of good jobs here in Nova Scotia,” said Martell. Jonathan Riley – TC Media