Software Engineering Professionals (SEP), along with Indiana’s technical community, has long fought out-of-state companies such as Google and Microsoft in attracting and keeping excellent technology and science minds. In a competitive and evolving industry, finding technical talent is a growing concern central Indiana.
With this in mind, SEP President and CEO Jeff Gilbert has announced a new corporate partnership between SEP and Indiana FIRST based on mutual interest in advancing technology and engineering throughout the state. “Every business organization should be concerned with where the next top technical talent will come from, not just ones like SEP that employ these people,” Gilbert begins.
“SEP has done a great job recruiting but studies and trends indicate that fewer people are pursuing technical and engineering career paths so it is a concern,” begins SEP President and CEO, Jeff Gilbert. It’s this concern that led SEP to Indiana FIRST, the state chapter of the FIRST organization. Allowing children to get hands-on experience with engineering, technology, and science, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) has grown into an international competition with skills that translate into improved class work and better collegiate and career opportunities for the thousands of young people who are involved in the non-profit’s many regional teams.
FIRST continues to grow as it approaches its 25th anniversary, with over 32,000 teams with 350,000 active students participating from all over the world. Gilbert hopes SEP will help expand the program in Indiana and allow students more chances to get involved with FIRST competitions.
“My daughter is involved with a local team, so I have been able to watch FIRST grow first hand,” said Gilbert. “I believe the people and resources at SEP can help children get involved and together we can help grow the Indiana program. It can help our colleges and universities find good students and provide more potential employees for Indiana companies. Indiana FIRST encourages them to pursue academic excellence even as their schools are struggling. FIRST shows them a potential future they might not otherwise have considered.”
