Calgary is a magnet for skilled workers in the technology sector, some of whom are tackling digital transformation projects at IBM’s Western Canada Client Innovation Centre (CIC).
Two years ago, the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF) announced funding for up to $5 million to encourage job creation and talent development in Calgary through the centre.
With OCIF's support, the Western Canada CIC is solidifying Calgary as a global destination for tech talent by offering up-skilling for local employees and creating up to 430 highly skilled jobs in the city.
CIC’s growing team has experts in business transformation, artificial intelligence, data science, cloud modernization, cyber security, data architecture and development. The multidisciplinary team helps clients create solutions in climate risk management, operations, supply chain, electrification and energy management, and sustainability strategies.
“One of our main objectives is to really invigorate the city’s tech sector, to diversify the economy and to fast-track access to digital transformation and modernization for our clients,” says Kerry McGuire, CIC leader, Western Canada.
“We want to drive tech and skills growth within not just Calgary but also Western Canada by being a magnet for a really skilled and diverse workforce.”
OCIF attracts highly skilled roles in Calgary
By expanding Calgary’s critical mass of tech talent, OCIF’s investment in IBM aligns with the focus areas in the city’s economic action plan, Uplook, to strengthen the city’s workforce with talent who approach global challenges in a creative way.
Since opening in mid-2022, a significant portion of those hired by IBM relocated from other regions or countries, with a large percentage identifying as visible minorities and nearly half being women.
The talent working in the Western Canada CIC may possess skills that were under-utilized in their previous roles, or they may be from a demographic group that faces barriers to entry into the technology field, McGuire says.
Many of them are new graduates, and some are mid-career professionals transitioning from other sectors.
“The new hires in Calgary are getting access to high-value jobs, but they’re also being provided with opportunities for education and [the development] of their skills while working alongside high-level experts in their fields and learning directly from them,” McGuire says.
When these team members take the skills they acquired at IBM to other roles in Calgary’s tech sector, it further strengthens Calgary’s position as a hub for innovation, McGuire says.
Partnering with powerhouse industries
The CIC is now serving clients across seven industries.
It partners with clients across traditional Canadian industries that are embarking on a digital journey, including oil and gas, mining, utilities, telecom, manufacturing and banking.
The new team members are working on large-scale digital transformation projects and they’re helping industrial clients with their digital business processes, McGuire says.
Others are working to modernize the travel and transportation sectors — such as how airports function.
The team also brings its innovative lens for sustainable solutions in Calgary’s energy sector.
A recent milestone for IBM's Western Canada CIC was the opening of the IBM Sustainability Hub in April 2024, located within the centre itself. The space is poised to help organizations accelerate their pathway to net-zero and elevate Calgary's position as a centre for energy transition.
A share priority world-wide, the global energy transition has the potential to create 170,000 jobs and contribute $61 billion to GDP in Alberta by 2050. IBM's Sustainability Hub will help local companies move one step closer to their own net-zero future.
It's just very exciting to see that we've been able to bring a group of people together and build this centre with people who are excited to grow their own careers, excited to put down roots in Calgary. They're excited to be part of the community in Calgary," said McGuire.
Since it was established by the City of Calgary in 2018, OCIF has committed over $83 million in funding to 30 organizations that support innovation, attract talent and accelerate the diversification and resilience of Calgary’s economy.
As it did with IBM, OCIF finds opportunities with the highest potential benefit to Calgary's economic future and fuels these opportunities with funding that ensures impact. The fund the fosters each project's success by integrating them into a network of support across Calgary's community.
Visit the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund page for more information on the City’s investments to drive innovation and spur transformative economic development in Calgary.