Geeks on Ice to Hold Public Information Session

Co-Committee Chairs Announced

Moncton – Several key vacancies on the Geeks on Ice committee have now been filled, and the event team is looking forward to its 4th anniversary. The committee will host a public information session for those who are interested in working as volunteers at, or would like to learn more about, the April event.

The public information session will take place on Tuesday, December 19th beginning at 5:00 PM. The location of the session will be:

Whitehill Technologies (Large Boardroom)
260 McNaughton Ave.
Moncton, NB
(In Caledonia Industrial Park)

The committee is asking anyone who wants to attend personally or by conference call to confirm their attendance by sending an email to tmacausland@gmail.com or phone 852-8096.

Geeks on Ice is an annual 16 team ice hockey tournament held in Moncton. Each team is a representative of a company that is either IT driven and/or Geek powered. Teams that have participated in the past include: Property Guys, Whitehill Technologies, Brovada, Evolving Solutions, Sports Direct, Xerox, Gtech, OAOT, and Assomption Vie.

The event has three goals. To promote health and wellness within the provincial ICT sector, promote networking among peers, and raise money for non-profit organizations to purchase or upgrade their computer equipment and peripherals. Since 2003, the event has raised approximately $10,000 for local non-profit organizations and charities.

The popularity of Geeks on Ice has created a buzz at the local and national levels. The tournament has doubled in size since 2003 and will be featured nationally on the Outdoor Life Network’s Road Hockey Rumble.

In related news, Geeks on Ice founder Trevor Macausland has announced that Michael Nied will return as Tournament Logistics Chair, Denis Gaudet will serve as Geekfest Chair while Randy Delorey has accepted the role of Tournament Co-Chair.

“I am excited about the mix of experience and new ideas from the team we have thus far. Our team will focus on making Geeks on Ice a must attend event which will contribute to the continued growth of this phenomenal event.” said Macausland.

Please visit our website at www.GeeksonIce.com for updates or more information. If you are interested in attending the public session, please contact Trevor Macausland at tmacausland@gmail.com or call (506) 852-8096.

Congrats to eVolving Solutions

Congrats to our friends over at Evolving Solutions of Saint John who received the Saint John Board of Trade's Outstanding Business Achievement Awards.

Keep up the good work gentlemen...

-Trevor

Geeks on Ice 2007

Will will soon have very important information about the 2007 edition of Geeks on Ice... Stay tuned!

Moncton Technology Planning Group to present strategy

Moncton Technology Planning Group to present strategy

Action plan will focus on acceleration of technology-based economic growth in Moncton area
On Friday, December 1, 2006 at 10 a.m. on the 6th floor at Moncton City Hall, the Moncton Technology Planning Group (MTPG) and IC2 Institute will unveil their action plan targeting the area's technology-based strengths and opportunities. The plan responds to key priorities and challenges identified in Moncton's economic development strategy.

"The report will outline a detailed plan designed to capitalize on existing technology-industry strengths and speed the growth of our knowledge-based industries," said Moncton Councillor Doug Robertson, Chair of the MTPG and the City's Economic Affairs Committee.

The action plan is the result of eight months of extensive analysis and consultation carried out by IC2 Institute and the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Texas at Austin.
MTPG and IC2 project team members will present the complete strategy at the news conference.

For more information, contact
Doug Robertson
Councillor
City of Moncton
(506) 382-5156

Paul Thomson

Director, Corporate Communications
City of Moncton
(506) 853-3592

Le Groupe de planification technologique de Moncton présentera sa stratégie

Le plan d'action misera sur l'accélération de la croissance économique axée sur la technologie dans la région de Moncton.

Le vendredi 1er décembre 2006 à 10 h, au 6e étage de l'hôtel de ville de Moncton, le Groupe de planification technologique de Moncton (GPTM) et l'IC2 Institute présenteront leur plan d'action destiné à exploiter les forces et possibilités technologiques de la région. Le plan répond aux priorités et défis clés précisés dans la stratégie de développement économique de Moncton.
« Le rapport présentera un plan détaillé conçu pour tirer profit des forces actuelles de l'industrie de la technologie et accélérer la vitesse de croissance de nos industries axées sur le savoir », a déclaré le conseiller de Moncton, Doug Robertson, président du GPTM et du Comité des affaires économiques de la Ville.

Le plan d'action est le résultat de huit mois d'analyse et de consultation exhaustives effectuées par l'IC2 Institute et le Bureau of Business Research de l'Université du Texas à Austin.
Les membres de l'équipe du projet de GPTM et d'IC2 présenteront la stratégie complète dans le cadre d'une conférence de presse.

Pour obtenir de plus amples renseignements, veuillez communiquer avec :

Doug Robertson,
conseiller municipal
Ville de Moncton
506-382-5156

Paul Thomson,
directeur
Communications corporatives

Ville de Moncton
506-853-3592

Anticipation of 1,700 New ICT Jobs in 5 Years

I opened up my mail this morning to read the following press release from PropelSJ. This is indeed great news for the ICT sector and a positive outlook on the next 5 years for the province of NB.

--Trevor

Anticipation of 1,700 New Jobs in 5 Years; ICT Industry optimistic about its future according to new survey commissioned by propelsj

Saint John, New Brunswick, November 15, 2006 – The ICT sector in Saint John is developing steadily and needs to be prepared for further growth.

propelsj, an ICT industry association, raised the question on availability of future human resources capital in this sector both in Saint John and in the Province, and is ready to facilitate the process leading to a better understanding of supply and demand requirements for the future.

The Qualifications Needs Survey distributed online among 312 companies in New Brunswick in August/September 2006 assessed the demand of skills in the ICT sector in New Brunswick and was the first step to accomplish this.

According to Jeff White, propelsj President, "The mood of the ICT industry appears to be enormously optimistic, we need to ensure that all political, financial, and educational partners and resources are working together to be ready for this anticipated growth. This is good news for the ICT industry."

The 2006 Qualifications Need Survey was distributed online during August and September to firms in the ICT sector throughout the province. Of more than 300 firms provided with the survey, 25% responded and completed the survey with cumulative employment of 6,306 people (1,215 in Saint John). There is a positive perception among respondents about future growth of this sector in the province of New Brunswick for new employment; around 1,700 jobs will be created in the ICT sector in the Province in the next five years; most of these, 1,303, would be in Saint John. Over 600 positions will be created in Saint John in the next two years; a 132% increase. There will be approximately 40 positions at a managerial level in the next two years, and 100 more on a five years perspective.

Software Engineers, Computer Programmers, and Information Systems Business Analysts ranked high on the "wish list" of the ICT firms. About half of these new positions would require some undergraduate degree, particularly in Engineering, with the other half requiring at least a Community College Diploma. Project management expertise and certification ( e.g. Project Management Institute) are expected for engineering level or Business Analysts positions.

Dr. Henryk Sterniczuk, UNBSJ MBA Director and a propelsj Board Member, helped to develop the survey and create the report and points out that "this is an incentive for both academia and industry to further coordinate their activities and balance the supply and demand for the right set of skills and knowledge." Dr. Sterniczuk added, "We have an amazing opportunity here and we need to make sure it has all of the right conditions to grow. The growth and energy in this dynamic sector is very positive and we should take advantage of it as a community."

While the survey did not focus on obtaining deeper information on the local supply of ICT resources from the advanced educational institutes, more analysis and collaboration is required with all stakeholders, including government and industry, to help prepare for what could be a potential shortage of qualified resources if the trend continues.

Jeff Roach, Executive Director of propelsj's Catalict accelerator concluded that "The introduction of Catalict as a program to stimulate and support start ups and early stage ICT businesses should increase demand for more ICT personnel."

The survey findings correlate well with the findings of the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) which were shared with Atlantic Canadian audiences in the past few weeks at events in Halifax that show:

• There are over 600,000 Canadians employed in the ICT space.
• There is roughly 2% unemployment in the sector for candidates with relevant skills (compared to roughly 8% in all industries across Canada)
• There will be a demand of 90,000 new employees in the sector over the next four years.

propelsj will distribute the 2006 Qualifications Need Survey Report to its partners and stakeholders in the province and will make it available at http://propelsj.com.

--
propelsj - surge ahead
http://propelsj.com / 506.642.9029

Let the Games Begin!

Tonight's the first night the Whitehill Geeks hit the ice! Can't wait! The skates are sharpenned and the Geeks are pumped for another fun season of pick up hockey.