Nashville Technology Council

A story out by Katilin Madden from Career Builder highlights the hiring and and salary trends likely to meet new grads in 2011.

“After three years of disappointing hiring and salary trends for entry-level workers, this year’s crop of college grads are facing improving job prospects. Not only are hiring projections up over last year, but employers are also planning to increase starting salaries for this year’s new graduates. Here’s a deeper look at both encouraging trends for the class of 2011.”

Hiring outlook

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ 2011 job outlook, employers are planning to hire almost 20 percent more new graduates this fall than they did in the fall of 2010, the first double-digit year-over-year jump in hiring since 2007. The anticipated increase will also nearly halve the ratio of job seekers to job postings this year as well, bringing the number from 41-to-1 in 2010 to just 21-to-1 in 2011.

Which industries will provide the most jobs? The NACE survey reports that the most opportunities will be in accounting (public and private), consulting, financial analysis, sales, investment banking and management trainee programs; while a recent CareerBuilder survey on college hiring found that companies plan to recruit the most new grads in the areas of IT, customer service, sales, finance, accounting and marketing.

Regardless of major or degree, though, there are certain qualities that all employers will be looking for when they hire new talent. Human resources managers who responded to the CareerBuilder survey said that the most important areas of proficiency for a new grad are written and verbal communication, technical ability, project management, research and math.

Employers ranked the following as most important experiences for new grads:

1. Internships

2. Part-time jobs

3. Volunteer work

4. Class work

5. Involvement in school organizations

Salary outlook

In addition to more job opportunities, graduates from the class of 2011 can expect salary offers that are higher than the ones their counterparts in 2010 and 2009 received. Twenty-six percent of employers surveyed by CareerBuilder said they planned to increase salary offers to new grads this year, up from 16 percent in 2010 and 11 percent in 2009.

Top Careers

Chemical Engineering $66,886

Computer Science $63,017

Mechanical Engineering $60,739

Computer Engineering $60,112

Information Sciences and Systems $56,868

Business Systems Networking/Telecommunications $56,808

The irony of this and every other data point we have been studying for three years is that the number of graduates in the highest paying jobs is going down.  STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) degrees are tougher to get, but the long term payoff is terrific.  Parents, please encourage your children to pursue STEM degrees.

The Nashville Technology Council is putting together the much anticipated 2010 issue of Catalyst Magazine.  Every year, we feature the top companies, entrepreneurs and innovators from Middle Tennessee whose businesses are bringing technology to a new level. This year, we are widening the scope to include the vast array of technology centric businesses from not only our greater Nashville area, but around the whole state of Tennessee.  Anticipated features and topics for the 2010 issue are:

• Top 100 Technology Leaders in the State
• Nashville Technology Awards
• Economic Development
• The Green Technology Revolution
• Nanotechnology
• Life Science (including Biotech and devices)
• Tennessee investment companies and venture capital
• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Initiatives
• Higher Education and the T3 Initiative
• Mobile Applications
• Music and Digital Content
• Health care IT
• Social Media

Catalyst will be distributed as an insert in the Nashville Business Journal, reaching 7500 readers, as well as mass distributed to our member companies, and targeted groups of technology companies and large employers in our state. Both the Nashville Chamber and the Nashville Technology Council also actively use Catalyst every day to recruit new talent and corporate relocation to the Nashville area, with inclusion in national and international conferences, promotions, and information packets.  Combined with Techville.us, Catalyst helps us to tell the world about the strong and growing technology community in Middle Tennessee.

The deadline for purchasing advertising space is October 1, 2010. For information on advertising opportunities in Catalyst 2010, contact Leah Magee. 

The Nashville Tech Story (July 21, 2009)

Belmont University was awarded a $575,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The grant entitled ‘Pathways to Science, Technology and Mathematics’ is a part of the Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program of the NSF.

Through this grant, 20 students will be awarded $10,000 scholarships, which can be renewed for up to four years. These students will also be given opportunities to engage in internships, undergraduate research, and visits to scientific and technological sites.

“The students with interest and aptitude for the Sciences, Technology and Mathematics have especially bright futures ahead as long as they have the proper preparation,” said Belmont University Professor of Mathematics, Dr. Glenn Acree. “We, in the School of Sciences, at Belmont, expect to be very active in spreading this word and in preparing these students for the challenges ahead.”

The Pathways grant objectives include: increasing quantity and quality of students majoring in STEM disciplines, strengthening retention of these students, providing knowledge of various opportunities for careers and graduate studies and enriching relationships with high schools and industry across Middle Tennessee.

“In addition to taking advantage of the T3 guest speakers’ series, each of the Pathways Scholars will be provided the connections to engage in internship experiences and also build relationships through an industry mentor program. We look forward to working with the Nashville Technology Council through each of these programs,” said Acree.

Belmont credits its involvement with the Nashville Technology Council, as well as the commitment of the Middle Tennessee Technology sector to collaborate with area institutions of higher education, as one of the factors that helped them secure this S-STEM grant.

The S-STEM program emphasizes the importance of recruiting students to the disciplines of the Sciences, Technology and Mathematics, mentoring and supporting students through degree completion and partnering with employers to facilitate student career placement in the STEM workforce.

“This is the first of what I expect will be many grants with this type of impact to be awarded to our faculty over the next few months and years,” said Acree.

Is there a National Technology Agenda?

With one of the most technology savvy Presidents in office, you would think that Washington would be openly embracing the Technology Industry.  Unfortunately, the technology industry is not as experienced at lobbying as hospitals, physicians, farmers, and unions.  As a result, it is important that we first define our agenda as an industry and then second to spread the word by meeting with our local, state, and national representatives.

We were fortunate to participate in the TECNA FLY-In in in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, March 18, 2009.  TECNA is the Technology Councils of North America.  Technology business leaders addressed some of the key issues facing the technology industry and brought the cause to legislators.

TECNA members were in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, March 18, 2009. Technology business leaders addressed some of the key issues facing the technology industry and brought the cause to legislators.

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