Erlanger Senior Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer Tish Ingalls joined a delegation from Chattanooga’s TechHire Initiative this week in Washington DC. The group, led by City Mayor Andy Berke, received an invitation from the White House to hear President Obama announce a nationwide tech hiring initiative at the National League of Cities meeting at the nation’s capitol.
In conjunction with the national initiative, Mayor Berke has partnered with a diverse group of local companies and entrepreneurs to launch a local TechHire program. Among the team partners are Erlanger, the Unum Group, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, UTC, the Enterprise Center, EPB and the Lamp Post group. This group will help determine the needs of local employers, train new workers and recruit candidates in unrepresented communities. “We are excited to be part of this much-needed local initiative, which will ensure area residents have access to accelerated IT training and well-paying jobs here at Erlanger, and throughout the community,” Ms. Ingalls said. The City of Chattanooga has allocated funding through its FY 2015 budget specifically targeted towards a technology workforce. Working with local training partners, the new IT task force will help establish goals for recruiting and training diverse and non-traditional candidates to fill these critical technology jobs.
Pictured at a National League of Cities event in Washington D.C. this month are, from left: Erlanger Chief Technology Officer Tish Ingalls, BlueCross BlueShield Chief Information Officer Nick Coussoule; Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke; City Councilman Chris Anderson and Joda Thongnopnua with the Lamp Post Group.
