Charleston, S.C. - Responding to the identified needs of the Foundation's members and the growing number of qualified individuals who are seeking employment in the area's knowledge-based industries, the Charleston Digital Corridor has launched the "Skills Bank," representing the first phase of a soon-to-be-released online "Talent Portal."

Designed to marry the need for technically-skilled labor with a nationwide talent pool that is increasingly identifying Charleston as a desirable place to live and work, the Talent Portal will register career seekers by skill set so that member companies can search by keyword and quickly identify qualified candidates in the system prior to reviewing a resume.

With the release of the first-phase Skills Bank, the Corridor now accepts registrations from job seekers who are interested in making their skills and resumes known to potential employers. This will provide a repository of the talent available to the region, and jumpstart the full-fledged system by storing this critical data.

"Where previously we would receive dozens of resumes a month and have no formal mechanism for connecting these individuals with our members' needs, the Skills Bank, and ultimately the Talent Portal, will fill that void," said Digital Corridor Director Ernest Andrade.

As the full-scale Talent Portal comes online, member companies will have the ability to post job openings, search for qualified candidates in the Skills Bank, flag specified skill sets as commonly desired employment criteria and receive notifications when new talent has been posted to the system.

"The launch of the talent portal represents another value-added service that the Corridor is providing our community, and bridges the chasm between qualified talent and quality opportunities," said Charleston Digital Corridor Foundation Chairman, Kirk King. "We hope the net effect is an overall reduction in "brain drain" and a boost to employers who can drive new job creation and expansion in our community."

The Skills Bank is currently a free service and available to job seekers who register on the system. The Talent Portal will be open to all Charleston Digital Corridor members as it comes online next month. Membership in the Corridor begins at an annual rate of $150 and scales based on company size and other considerations. Memberships may be purchased online at www.charlestondigitalcorridor.com.

Digital Corridor members, from knowledge-based companies to local and regional recruiting firms, are looking forward to the operational advantage the Talent Portal will provide. "The Talent Portal provides access to human capital resources in a manner which is truly unique in this area of the nation," said Barry Newkirk, Vice President of ICAP, a technology-focused executive search firm with offices in Greenville and Charleston, SC. "We see our sponsorship of the Portal as a key element in our company's strategic plan."

Kate Ozalas, president of Corridor-based software company Roktech Technologies, agreed. "We're always looking for great technical people with a long-term career focus," she said. "The Talent Portal will help us find qualified people interested in making Charleston their home, and can even help their tech-experienced spouses find employment as well."

According to Andrade, the Digital Corridor has recognized that talent is the ultimate driver of the knowledge-based economy. "The Talent Portal will become an integral part of the Charleston Digital Corridor's mission to attract, nurture and grow technology and knowledge-based enterprise," he added.

About the Charleston Digital Corridor

The Charleston Digital Corridor is a creative effort to attract, nurture and grow high-tech and knowledge-based companies and industry professionals to the City of Charleston through a combination of City initiatives and business incentives, private business support and member-driven programs. With the goal of offering tangible resources to the business community, the Digital Corridor serves as a portal to government, infrastructure, real estate, education, venture capital, professional resources and a trained workforce.

Contact information:

Ernest G. Andrade, Director
ernest@charlestondigitalcorridor.com
t. 843. 724.3773
c. 843.607.1264

Kimberly Demetriades, Development Coordinator
kimberly@charlestondigitalcorridor.com
t. 843.579.7659