IBM Canada and Nova Scotia Business Inc. have announced a new agreement that will bring 350 new, highly skilled jobs focused on AI and hybrid cloud to the province.
As part of IBM’s global network of Client Innovation Centres (CIC), the Nova Scotia centre is expected to create 350 new jobs over the next five years to meet clients’ growing and evolving technology and innovation needs.
Opened in March 2013, the Nova Scotia CIC serves several clients from around the world and has over 300 open roles to fill in coming months. This expansion will create more opportunities for new graduates and experienced professionals in the digital sector, with an emphasis on equity and inclusion.
As an entrepreneurial startup within IBM Consulting, the CIC specializes in application management solutions and consulting services to support businesses, enterprises, and governments in digital transformation.
“Nova Scotia has a special place for us at IBM. The province has a globally recognized culture of innovation, and we are proud to be contributing to local economic growth by creating high value jobs,” said Dave McCann, Managing Partner, IBM Consulting Canada.
“By significantly expanding our team, we will create more opportunities for Nova Scotians, and build capacity for IBM to help our clients as they seize a wide array of opportunities created by evolving digital technologies.”
IBM Canada has created economic and social impact in the province by significantly growing its presence in Nova Scotia over the past eight years, in large part through academic partnerships with universities and colleges such as Dalhousie and Nova Scotia Community College.
Continuing its commitment to shaping the future skills and education, IBM established the first P-TECH (Pathways in Technology, Early College High School) model with three Technology Advantage Program schools in Halifax, Nova Scotia and the recently announced first ever Mi’kmaw P-TECH school in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
The program offers integrated high school and college curriculum focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). It will enable the students to graduate with a high school diploma, and a tuition-free, industry aligned, two-year college diploma, with workplace experiences within six years or less.
Hallmarks of the program include industry one-on-one mentoring, workplace visits, paid summer internships, and be considered as first-in-line for interviews regarding IBM open positions.
In 2018, IBM also collaborated with Dalhousie University, the Ocean Frontier Institute, the Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE), the Government of Canada, local industry, and the Province of Nova Scotia on DeepSense – a world class big ocean data innovation environment, powered by IBM technology to drive innovation, job creation and economic growth.