UM Creates New Partnership to Expand Montana’s Technology Workforce
MISSOULA – The University of Montana and The Whole Group are partnering to develop workforce education and training pathways to position Montana as a global leader in meeting the rapidly growing need for a workforce skilled in the ServiceNow technology platform.
The Whole Group, a new venture focused on delivering ServiceNow technology solutions to business and government customers around the world, selected Montana as the ideal location to build a skilled workforce.
“UM is continuing to do whatever we can to adapt and innovate to meet the needs of local employers,” said UM President Seth Bodnar. “Through this new partnership, we can create another durable pipeline for Montanans to gain the skills needed to earn a high-paying job.”
“Montana work ethic paired with innovative partnerships with two and four-year degree programs create incredible opportunities for Montana’s workforce,” said Scott Osterman, director of the Montana Department of Commerce. “In-line with Governor Gianforte’s pro-jobs, pro-business policies, Commerce is laser-focused on the creation of more, good-paying jobs for Montanans and this announcement of a world-class ServiceNow career path will meet the needs of both Montana companies and businesses across the globe that leverage the ServiceNow platform, while keeping this talent in our state.”
UM, along with Missoula College, Helena College and Accelerate Montana, will work with The Whole Group to offer multiple pathways for current and future students to develop ServiceNow skills. This partnership will enable them to pursue good paying jobs and careers working for Montana employers of ServiceNow talent or work remotely for national and international employers of ServiceNow skilled workers.
UM and Missoula College will offer options for 4-year and 2-year degree students to add ServiceNow training and work-based experiential learning opportunities to their college pathways.
ServiceNow helps digitize and unify organizations so they can find smarter, faster and better ways to make work flow. With over 7,000 global enterprise customers, including about 85% of the Fortune 500, many of the leading brands and government agencies rely on ServiceNow solutions using the Now Platform – the intelligent and intuitive cloud platform - for successful digital transformation.
“Missoula College is thrilled to establish a close collaboration with The Whole Group,” said Tom Gallagher, dean of Missoula College and associate vice provost for Workforce Development and Two-Year Education. “This partnership will provide students with ServiceNow skills and the work-based learning opportunities needed to pursue careers in a high-demand technical field.”
Accelerate Montana and Missoula College will also offer non-credit pathways that enable a wide range of individuals from high school seniors to workers seeking a career change to pursue ServiceNow job opportunities. Accelerate Montana will also work with other 2-year colleges and with tribal colleges to facilitate statewide access to ServiceNow training and job opportunities.
“Partnering with The Whole Group aligns tightly with Accelerate Montana’s focus on expanding Montanan’s access to in-demand skills-based training that leads to good paying jobs,” said Paul Gladen, director of Accelerate Montana and associate vice president for Research & Economic Development.
“We appreciate the opportunity to partner with Accelerate Montana and The Whole Group as we work to meet the ServiceNow workforce training needs in our region and in Montana,” said Sandra Bauman, Dean/CEO Helena College.
The Whole Group was established to rapidly build and implement a new global software deployment model (Cosmos) to support ServiceNow in quickly launching and growing the usage of new products. The Whole Group partners with universities, colleges and state agencies to establish scalable talent creation programs.
“We believe that technology careers should be accessible, attainable and equitable - reducing the income and opportunity disparity across many communities today,” said The Whole Group’s Paul Andrew. “We decided to base our global business in Montana, supporting customers around the world, based on the fact that many of our team members and leaders built their careers in Montana. We are delighted to partner with the University of Montana, Missoula College and Accelerate Montana to make fast growing, highly rewarding technology careers available to Montanans across the state, and look forward to many years of growing our company in Montana.”
“We're proud to partner with Accelerate Montana, the State of Montana, and our world class University to create opportunities for Montanans across the state,” said Jorge Watson of The Whole Group. “In addition to focusing on traditional education paths, we're co-creating a curriculum for individuals from all walks of life, from high school to those in later stages of their careers. We firmly believe that a key pathway to wealth creation and community prosperity lies in accessible technology careers, especially those in a high growth platform category like ServiceNow. We're committed to making this pathway accessible to as many Montanans as possible.”
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Contact: Paul Gladen, UM associate vice president for Research & Economic Development and director of Accelerate Montana, 406-396-3534, paul.gladen@umontana.edu.