A Prime Time RIDE for Amazon Employees — and their Dogs
For a company that is driven to getting things to their destination on time — be it a one hour package delivery in Brooklyn to a lunch-hour restaurant relay in Houston, to free, 2-day shipping for the over 54 million U.S. Amazon Prime members (via UPS, Fedex and someday by drone), commuting to the corporate hub of Amazon ecommerce in the heart of downtown Seattle has taken a back seat for employees — until now!
Amazon RIDE, a new shuttle bus service for full or part-time Amazon employees and their canine companions will begin service from Bellevue, Redmond, and Issaquah to Amazon’s South Lake Union campus and the new Doppler building in the Denny Triangle on October 3rd. Employees will be able to reserve seats up to two weeks in advance via a mobile app. For employees who are working late or need emergency service, a “Guaranteed Ride Home” contingency will be available up to five times per year.
Reservations for commuting workers will be accommodated up to 2 weeks in advance on the Amazon RIDE Website . [24×7]
WTIA Apprenti Program A Model for the Nation
The US Department of Labor has awarded the WTIA registered tech apprenticeship program, named Apprenti, a $7.5 million ApprenticeshipUSA contract to expand nationwide.
Apprenti was the only program selected to address the growing talent needs of the tech industry as a part of the federal government’s historic $20.4 million investment in apprenticeship.
“Washington state’s diverse economy is built on innovation and continues to be a hub for the rapidly growing national and global technology ecosystem. We’re proud to be leading the charge to ensure that Americans will have the skills and access that they need to succeed in a 21st century economy, while delivering our companies the talent they need to grow and thrive,” said Gov. Jay Inslee
The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecast a surge of over 1.3 million new computer programming and computer support specialist jobs by 2022. As their need grows, companies are also struggling to increase diversity among its workforce. Less than twenty percent of the tech workforce is female, less than three percent is Hispanic or African American, and there are an even smaller number of veterans.
Apprenti taps into this overlooked talent pool by assisting those under represented in the tech sector. Once accepted, the program provides them with two to four months of certified technical training followed by one year of full-time, paid, on-the-job training with one of Apprenti’s many hiring partners like Microsoft, F5 Networks and Accenture. [24×7]
Seattle Business Magazine Names Tech Impact Award Winners
Professor Ed Lazowska, the Bill & Melinda Gates chair in computer science & engineering at the University of Washington, was named Seattle’s 2016 Tech Champion at the annual Tech Impact Awards event presented by Seattle Business magazine.
Lazowska was honored for his long commitment to technological innovation and expanding its reach within the university community and the community at large. Other honorees represent businesses that were nominated in 10 categories.
The award winners are:
TECH IMPACT CHAMPION
Ed Lazowska, Ph.D.
SAAS
Winner: Apptio Inc., Bellevue
Silver Awards: Acumatica, Bellevue; Vertafore, Bothell
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY/PRODUCTIVITY
Winner: Impinj, Seattle
Silver Award: Kymeta Corporation, Redmond
ENTERPRISE
Winner: Chef Software, Seattle
Silver Award: Qumulo, Seattle
VIRTUAL REALITY/AUGMENTED REALITY
Winner: Microsoft HoloLens, Redmond
Silver Awards: Valve Corporation, Bellevue; Envelop VR, Seattle
INTERFACE
Winner: Amazon Alexa, Seattle
Silver Award: Skype Translator, Redmond
CONSUMER/RETAIL
Winner: Avvo, Seattle
Silver Award: OfferUp, Seattle
MARKETING ANALYSIS
Winner: QuoteWizard, Seattle
CLOUD/BIG DATA
Winner: BitTitan, Kirkland
Silver Award: SkyKick, Seattle
INTELLIGENT APPS
Winner: Turi, Seattle
Silver Awards: Inrix Inc., Kirkland; Indix Corporation, Seattle [24×7]
