Gary Davis.

Gary Davis may be the only Ottawa entrepreneur hoping that his enterprise runs out of customers and he goes out of business.

While the executive director of the Ottawa Talent Initiative (OTI) jokes that he gets bored easily and will probably need to find new challenges in the near future anyway, for now he's content to dedicate his time to finding jobs for unemployed technology workers.

"My objective is for us to be out of business in a maximum of two years from now and I hope well before that. I've been right upfront with that. If I can't demonstrate that we'll be closing our doors, then what we're doing doesn't serve a purpose," he said.

"If you can get people connected, then a lot of things will happen and we are starting to lose more and more people because they're getting work.

"There's a real sense that there are opportunities there. I wouldn't say the sun has risen but the horizon is lightening like it does in the morning."

Since the Talent Initiative Action Centre quietly opened on Sept. 27, more than 1,000 workers have used the resource, which offers free employment services including career coaching, computer and office services, seminars and workshops and meeting spaces.

While the strategic assistance gives workers the right tools for a job search, it's the "task force" element of the center that has Davis confident he'll be looking for his next challenge soon.

The task forces work in different areas to help develop contacts, establish partnerships and ferret out possible job leads. The different areas include a database of workers, market research, entrepreneurship advice, engaging businesses and academic institutions, and a speaker series.

For example, one task force bought a license for the federal government's automated contracting system called MERX and works as an ad hoc R&D services outfit, which finds workers with the right skills to fit the requirement and then submits a bid.

In many cases, the centre has the co-operation of staffing outfits such as Calian Technologies, which then also benefits from the efforts by making money through the talent. The centre is using the same sort of approach for international projects.

"We met with the Canadian International Development Agency last week to try to put teams together that they can use because all their projects have some sort of technology element to them," he said.

"We are also setting up a meeting with the trade commissioner for the United Arab Emirates because they are looking for thousands of skilled workers and maybe we can meet their needs with the people here."

It also has the support of Ottawa West-Nepean MP Marlene Catterall, who has been lobbying the government to add some federal money to the mix.

Davis stressed that any funds would be used in the next two years and would be a one-time infusion designed to help more workers.

OTI evolved from the loosely organized groups of unemployed technology workers that formed after the downturn saw thousands staring at pink slips rather tan computer screens.

The transformation of the group from a rag-tag band of unemployed workers to an organized centre for job creation happened in less than a year. It began with a meeting between about 500 unemployed tech workers and community, government, and business leaders last February at the Ottawa Talent Forum. The forum served as the official launch of OTI.

"Back when the downturn started in 2001, people were gathering together in networking groups and at one point there were about 25 that were identified and people were looking at various things that they could do," Mr. Davis said.

"Politicians who were approached asked the groups to come up with one voice that could tell them what needed to be done and that's how the OTI steering committee was born."

Three months later, it released an 18-point action plan recommending changes to government programs and services designed to address the needs of technology workers. One of the recommendations was establishing the talent center.

"We wanted this to work like a business because the way we wanted to look at it was that all this talent here in the community is an asset - it may be underused right now but it's not a drag on the community," Mr. Davis said.

"This isn't a charity or a social service type venture. So, all our efforts have gone toward finding out what employers need and trying to meet it rather than asking employers to help us."

After the Ontario government put up some cash to get the centre opened, the group was able to get some low-cost office space in an Alcatel building in Kanata's Research Park.

While finding jobs remains a priority, Davis emphasized the centre also offers counselling for workers many of whom have spent the past few years worrying about the future and their employment prospects.

Some technology workers found themselves out of a job for the first time in their lives, while others who had always experienced a high demand for their skills discovered a glut on the market.

Most struggled with basic job-hunting exercises, such as organizing a resume. It became a frustrating experience for many, which put huge pressures on personal lives.

"One thing I discovered through this was the emotional impact on people, which was far deeper than I thought - a lot of families have broken up and many people lost a sense of themselves," Davis said.

"I don't want to be overly dramatic about it but I saw it in people's eye's: there was a sense that they didn't know what to do, who they were ... because people rightly or wrongly did define themselves by what they produced or the projects they managed."

That's why the centre ensures that everyone walking in the door gets an orientation session, which stresses that it's OK to acknowledge that anxiety is a common trait among unemployed technology workers.

Not everything is a strategic issue and the centre's staff understands that it's important to pay attention to the personal side of the equation, Davis stressed.

"If you come into the centre and you don't feel like the strong, capable, intelligent, clever, and perceptive person you used to be, don't hide it. We have to acknowledge that," he said.

"You look them in the eye and talk about that stuff and I think that's one of the key things that we do. It has to be genuine and real."

By Jeff Pappone

Special to the Ottawa Business Journal