IBM, Philly continue efforts to help job seekers

After a few months away, experts from IBM are reporting back to Philadelphia officials on how to get more people into the workforce.

The IBM team spent a week in the fall crunching Philadelphia’s numbers on education and employment. They’ve returned with a set of recommendations.

Appearing Thursday with Mayor Michael Nutter, Ed Blatt of IBM says the company will continue to work with Philadelphia on its online tool called “Digital On-Ramps.” The platform should connect people to resources around the city, from skills training to job opportunities.

 

The online portal is meant to serve teenagers through adults seeking to retrain.

“One way to think about it is a road map,” Blatt said. “But it’s the 21st century and road maps are kind of static so we kind of came up with this concept of a learning GPS because with a GPS you can constantly update it and it’s flexible.”

Philadelphia was one of two dozen cities selected last year from more than 200 applicants to receive technical assistance from IBM. The company’s “smarter cities” initiative will continue through 2013.