Technology Alberta

There is a global race for more data centres, and Alberta can be a leader. We have excellent conditions for investment, and we’ve already seen Amazon Web Services (AWS), IBM and Microsoft building here! https://lnkd.in/gjTZwGSs Platform Calgary Canadian Blockchain Consortium Edmonton Unlimited Invest Alberta Rick Christiaanse, C.Dir Terry Rock Tom Viinikka Technology Alberta Calgary.tech Gail Powley Jordan Pinkster Harish Consul Neeraj Gupta Kristina Milke James Lochrie Nicole Janssen Cory Janssen Cam Linke Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) AltaML Alberta Enterprise Corporation (AEC) Kristina Williams Tony Williams Irfhan Rawji

In celebration of the 35th Anniversary of the ASTech Awards, we are pleased to showcase 35 years of Innovation in Alberta through a 35 week-long series, starting in 1989. Over these years, the achievements and award winners have significantly contributed to Alberta's vibrant innovation sector of today. Here are a sample of 2007’s Winners: The AACI Research Team (Alberta Energy Research Institute/Alberta Research Council Core Industry Research Program) at what is now InnoTech Alberta (a subsidiary of Alberta Innovates), led by Dr. Doug Lillico, won the Innovation in Oil Sands Research award for their contributions to heavy oil extraction technologies. This work was conducted in collaboration with University of Alberta supervisors Dr. Jacob Masliyah (1993 and 2008 ASTech Winner) and Dr. Douglas Dale, as well as industry partners. These efforts yielded significant achievements, benefiting Alberta's economy and environment. Dr. Garnette Sutherland won the Outstanding Leadership in Alberta Technology award for his pioneering work on neuroArm, the first image-guided, MR-compatible surgical robot capable of performing microsurgery and stereotaxy. Developed at the Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary (Biomedical) the neuroArm allows neurosurgeons to perform intricate brain surgeries with enhanced precision by operating a robotic arm from a console while the patient undergoes MRI, enhancing safety and outcomes. Dr. David Bundle won the Outstanding Leadership in Alberta Science award for his distinguished career in immunochemistry. His work, spanning from the UK to the National Research Council in Ottawa, led to significant advancements in vaccine development and carbohydrate research. As a founder of the University of Alberta spin-off company ChemBioMed, Dr. Bundle's contributions included the study of the Starfish molecule in combating bacterial toxins like E. coli. To learn more about these winners, and other ASTech Winners, check out the ASTech Website: https://lnkd.in/gkYSrJWb For a deeper dive on a sample of 2007's winners, check out this blog: https://lnkd.in/gkYSrJWb #abinnovation #yeg #yyc #techab #astechawards #technologyalberta

Focus on Talent #21 - Hiring Decisions - Independent Contractor or Permanent Employee? Once a Tech Small-to-Medium-sized business (SMB) has made the decision to bring a new team member on board, the next question they may face is whether that person should be an independent contractor or a permanent employee. As featured in an article on the website of Small Business Centres Ontario, here are several factors to take into consideration when making this decision:   Is the work of finite scope, or ongoing need? Independent contractors are often hired when a company has a project that needs to be completed which requires an individual with a specialized skill set, and has a well-defined scope with clear start and end points. In comparison, if the duties and responsibilities of the position are continuous, a permanent employee is the better option since you will not be repeatedly training someone to do the work. This is of particular importance if the work requires specialized equipment or has strict procedures that must be followed.   How much availability and team interaction do you require? It’s important to consider what you are expecting of your new addition. Do you need them working: in-person; certain hours of the day; with other team members; and/or working exclusively for you? In this case, a permanent employee may better meet your needs, since independent contractors are able to take contracts with more than one company at a time, and as such their availability may not align with your team’s and/or company’s needs.   Are there limitations to available capital to pay for the worker? The pay rate for an independent contractor may be significantly higher than the pay rate for a permanent employee. However, consideration must be given to the additional expenses that are incurred when hiring a full-time employee (i.e. vacation pay, worker’s compensation, health benefits), in comparison to the length of the contract for a contractor. The contractor is paid only for the work performed (either at an hourly rate or an agreed upon amount for the project), so the overall cost may be less when hiring a contractor. Taking the time to assess what you need from a new team member will help you to determine which option works best for your company at the present time. There is also the possibility of hiring an independent contractor that is later hired on as a permanent employee. This gives you the opportunity to assess their performance, and to determine if their skillset and attitude are a good fit to contribute to your company’s growth and culture. Read more Focus on Talent articles at: https://lnkd.in/gBw57sDq #abtech #alberta #techab #firstjobs #technologyalberta #astech

Over half of ERA’s investment portfolio supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This week, ERA and the Government of Alberta will be announcing our latest funding to help SMEs scale up and commercialize their technology. https://www.eralberta.ca/ #Alberta #ABTech #TIERfund Rebecca Schulz

#Hiring - Positions in Government, Academia, and Large Industry that can help transform Alberta's economy Calgary and Southern Alberta AltaLink - Utilities/Energy, A/P Financial Analyst https://www.altalink.ca/ https://lnkd.in/gYETHBs5 Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation - Government Agency, Director, People and Culture, Engagement https://theaioc.com/ https://lnkd.in/g7nUbdtE AESO - Utilities/Energy, Azure DevOps Administrator https://www.aeso.ca/ https://lnkd.in/gvaSgNFK Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) - Education/Training Services, Instructor, Network Resilience & Scalability https://www.sait.ca/ https://lnkd.in/gC4PpH87 City of Lethbridge - Government/City Administration, Electric Data Systems Manager https://www.lethbridge.ca/ https://lnkd.in/gSf7EzE6 Edmonton and Northern Alberta Air Products - Chemicals/Manufacturing, Senior Process Controls Engineer https://lnkd.in/geNFwF8c https://lnkd.in/gN-iMBfB AMA - Alberta Motor Association - Automotive/Travel Services, Senior Full Stack Developer https://ama.ab.ca/ https://lnkd.in/gfU4QAdc Radiant Systems Inc - Information Technology/Software Services, Enterprise Architect https://www.radiants.com/ https://lnkd.in/gV3wNMgU CN - Transportation/Railroad, Expert Solution Architecture – Operational Technology Systems and Solutions https://www.cn.ca/en/ https://lnkd.in/grz_QGct Cummins Inc. - Automotive/Manufacturing, Field Service Supervisor https://www.cummins.com/ https://lnkd.in/gsXvtsQU Follow this page to be updated on Alberta’s industry news. #TechAlberta #albertatech #jobs #albertacareers #albertajobs

#Hiring - Every week 10 Alberta SMBs (Small-to-Medium-sized Businesses) join our directory which annually features 500 tech companies that are part of the tech sector's collective hiring of over 5000 new positions this year. Shared across our network of more than 20,000, we help tech companies find the talent they need to grow in Alberta. DIRTT - Construction | Calgary: Health and Safety Advisor https://www.dirtt.com/ https://lnkd.in/gs76_Cnh DV8 Energy Inc - Energy | Calgary: Account Manager https://www.dv8energy.com/ https://lnkd.in/gJ74Nx57 Solex Thermal Science - Manufacturing | Calgary: Process Engineering Manager https://lnkd.in/g5GbYW4z https://lnkd.in/gUgwTtaB Orpyx® - Healthcare | Calgary: Sales and Marketing Operations Administrative Assistant https://www.orpyx.com/ https://lnkd.in/gNxnFTyp OpenHouse.ai - AI Marketing | Calgary: Customer Success Manager https://openhouse.ai/ https://lnkd.in/gk-ya7gk Bio-Stream Diagnostics Inc. - Diagnostics | Edmonton: Electrochemist https://www.bio-stream.ca/ https://lnkd.in/gBmDPUj8 RAMP InterActive - Software | Edmonton: Front-End Web Designer / Developer https://lnkd.in/gQSe82by https://lnkd.in/gAPfyFfK Basin Environmental Ltd - Environmental Services | Sherwood Park: Intermediate Aquatic Biologist https://lnkd.in/gkvtg7_z https://lnkd.in/gtaD-bsp Stack Production Testing - Oil & Gas | Grande Prairie: Well Testing Supervisor https://lnkd.in/gc3GEBdW https://lnkd.in/gWy5bsDQ SciMed Technologies - Biotechnology | Edmonton: Research Scientist https://lnkd.in/gWsaEfh8 https://lnkd.in/g7fRskFv #TechAlberta #albertatech #jobs #albertacareers #albertajobs

Tickets are available for the ASTech Grande Opening Ceremonies! https://lnkd.in/gN5E3AkV

Focus on Talent - Attracting Talent to Your Tech Company In our recent travels, we continue to hear that attracting Talent is a core need and priority for companies of all sizes - from Corporates in Energy, to Alberta's Tech SMB's (Small-to-Medium-Sized-Businesses). Talent fit for our SMB's was discussed in our recent Focus on Talent: Skills-Based Hiring for the Tech Sector newsletter, but as well our tech companies face the added challenge of competing against the ever-increasing salaries and benefits that larger organizations can offer. What are some of the other ways you can position your company to attract the talent you need? Working for a small tech company has many benefits, such as: multifaceted roles that offer broad and varied work; opportunity to interact directly with dynamic company founders and leaders; and a chance to make a big impact and to contribute to growing Alberta's tech sector. However, these benefits are not often shared with potential employees during the attraction and acquisition process. Most people equate the phrase “job posting” with what is really just a job description: a list of the tasks required by the role and the qualifications needed to apply for it. Instead, create a job advertisement that demonstrates why someone would want to work for your company. This advertisement can be used to highlight the following information: - How will their work impact the company  - What will they learn in the role - Their level of autonomy - The company's greater goals, and growth culture  - Potential profit-sharing or company equity-sharing over time In conjunction with the benefits discussed above, other non-monetary perks such as flexibility in their daily work schedule, remote/hybrid work options, network-building opportunities, volunteer hours support, longer vacation periods or available work-sabbaticals, creative office environments, professional development/course opportunities, employee recognition and team building practices should be communicated. These perks can be part of the job advertisement, and should also be emphasized during an interview. In summary, there are many reasons for employees to want to work in a team that is part of a small dynamic business. Making the effort to communicate these benefits can attract the type of individuals you need to grow your company: those who want to see your company succeed as much as you do!