“We were trying to find creative ways of addressing the labor challenge,” said Amar Juluri, Associate Vice President, Integration and AIM program leader. “It’s critical for us to tap into these skills that are available to us as a technology company.”

Excerpts from Missoula Current’s article:

“The rising stars of Missoula’s tech scene aren’t coming from the Silicon Valley or the Seattle waterfront, but from the city’s concrete crews, its downtown bars and other nontraditional sectors.

When Cognizant-ATG graduated its latest class at the University of Montana last week, it brought 28 students into its workforce, each trained in the company’s technology and business practices.

The student body represented a range of demographics, and it included Titut Yokelson, who first entered college as an exchange student from Bali in 1977.

‘At first it didn’t make sense because I’m not a technology person,’ she said. ‘But the opportunity was amazing and it was very difficult for me – the training. But I did it, and I think with my knowledge, I’m going to be in the middle of this shift that’s taking us to the future.’

The older labor force is retiring and there aren’t enough troops in the younger generation to fill their shoes. Many of today’s jobs also require new skills, something the AIM program looks to solve. It could be a model moving forward.”

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