The Region of Waterloo's high-tech sector needs skilled workers and Iain Klugman is intent on finding them.

The chief executive officer of the Communitech Technology Association says the association's job-bank website (www.waterlootechjobs.com) lists 350 positions available among the region's high-tech companies. And that barely scratches the surface of what is available, he adds.

"Some companies will list for a marketing manager, but there will be 70 positions that company is trying to fill," Klugman says.

The association recently surveyed half the tech companies in the region and found 900 positions open. There are about 400 technology companies in the Waterloo region, employing more than 26,000 people.

Iain Klugman

Communitech traces its roots to the late 1980s when newly established high-tech companies banded together to form the Atlas Group, which lobbied for the industry as well as shared ideas. The group transformed into Communitech in 1997. It now boasts more than 350 members ranging in size from startup enterprises to global players such as Research In Motion and Open Text.

"We provide what companies need to start and maintain their prosperity," Klugman says. "We ensure the entrepreneur ecosystem is in place to provide money and talent and skills and coaching and everything needed to help people launch companies right.

"Many of the jobs we're looking to fill are for seasoned, experienced people," he says. "We do a great job of producing entry-level people from our universities and our companies do a great job through co-op to capture the best and the brightest, but we're trying to fuel the growth needs with experienced professionals."

Communitech's efforts have connected it with many partners and taken it to events in Toronto, Markham and Mississauga, as well as the United States, most recently deep in California's Silicon Valley.

In late June, with the assistance of the Canadian consulate general, Canada Technology Triangle Inc. (CTT) and the University of Waterloo alumni association, Communitech organized a Canada Day celebration in Woodside, Calif. The annual event, promoted by the Digital Moose Lounge, a network group for Canadians in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay area, attracted 500 people and convinced a number of them to return home.

"The idea of returning to Canada, especially for young married couples, is quite appealing," Klugman says.

"But many were considering Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver.

"Many weren't aware of the activity and growth within the Region of Waterloo. When we started talking about the developments, about the low cost of housing and commute times, people were absolutely startled."

Recruitment teams from a number of high-tech companies in the Waterloo region, including Research In Motion, met with people attending the event.

"There were a few hires that came out of that event," Klugman says. "Our objective had been to raise the profile of the opportunities that existed in the region. The fact that we had those hires was a bonus."

John Tennant

John Tennant, CEO of CTT, agrees there are challenges in selling the region to potential workers and investors. The non-profit, public-private partnership was set up by the Region of Waterloo and the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge to promote the area.

"We are the 10th-largest urban area in the nation. We're talking about nearly a half-million population base," Tennant says. "For those who aren't familiar with us, there is often a vagueness in where Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge are located and a lack of appreciation in how urban this area really is.

"It is a question of shedding the small-town image of just the City of Waterloo - whose population is ... just 100,000, but is part of a quite large urban area with very fluid movement," he says.

"We're large enough to be sophisticated, but not so large that we've lost a sense of community," Tennant says.

"We're close enough to Toronto to benefit from Canada's major economic engine, but far enough that we will continue to retain our identity and character."

Tennant is a strong supporter of Communitech's recruiting events.

"We found considerable attraction in keeping in touch with the ex-pat community in Silicon Valley. Not only do we promote Waterloo region as an excellent career prospect for those with experience in Silicon Valley, it's an investment opportunity, as we saw when Nuvation opened a satellite office here," he says.

In September 2004, San Jose-based Nuvation Research Corp., which builds circuit boards and writes software, opened a research and development office in Waterloo's city centre.

It plans to relocate to the University of Waterloo's Research and Technology Park and hire up to 30 engineers.

From its humble beginnings in the mid-1980s, the tech sector now employs an estimated 10 per cent of the region's workforce. With growth rates of about 30 per cent annually, the tech sector is one of the fastest-growing components of the region's economy, contributing $8 billion in 2004.

"We have huge strength in automotive and manufacturing," says Linda Fegan, CTT's manager of marketing and communications.

"Most of our jobs come from there, but in terms of high technology, we have over 400 companies here, including innovators and emerging activities in biotechnology and nanotechnology."

The economic activity from the tech sector has helped reduce Waterloo region's unemployment rate to 5.3 per cent, below the national average of 6.7 per cent. It has also fuelled rapid growth, with provincial planners forecasting a population of 720,000 by 2031. The current population is about 500,000.

Klugman expects the tech sector to grow ahead of the region, but cautions against blind optimism.

"We should never forget that the tech sector is cyclical. We always go through fluctuations. But as far as our long-term prosperity, we've got great anchors, including Perimeter Institute, our universities and Conestoga College," he says.

"The companies that are here continue to grow and build a community of businesspeople who know how to build great companies. There will be a snowball effect. We're definitely on a cutting wave on this one," Klugman says.

Communitech's next event will be Entrepreneur Week, which runs from Sept. 30 to Oct. 7 at various locations across the region. Guests include Michael Raynor, author of The Innovator's Solution.

There will also be "top CEOs from inside and outside the Waterloo region to advise and mentor others in contributing to the growth of the Region of Waterloo's tech sector," Klugman says.

Following that, Communitech plans new recruiting events in Toronto, Markham and Mississauga, before returning to Silicon Valley next year.

(James Bow can be reached at bow@businessedge.ca)