market2world welcomes newest team member: Award-winning CTV technology specialist Paul Brent

Former CTV Ottawa technology specialist and Tech Now Reporter/Producer Paul Brent has joined market2world communications inc. as a Senior Communications Strategist. market2world bills itself as a public relations and product marketing resource for global innovators. The company has experienced 50% growth over the past year as its reputation for promoting knowledge-based products and services has attracted new clients in Ontario, across Canada, and internationally.

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The trouble with normal is it always gets worse – IT skills shortage here to stay unless we inspire high school kids NOW to pursue careers in tech

Bruce Cockburn is one of my favourite singer-songwriters, and if I'm having a really tough day with no end in sight his left-wing lyrical rant against right wing ideologies invades my brain: "The trouble with normal is it always gets worse." Fortunately, the clouds always clear and I'm soon humming something more happy like "I get by with a little help from my friends."

Right now, there's no end in sight for Canada's IT skills shortage. Not enough high school students are considering a career in high tech. The siren call of life sciences and (until recently) hedge fund jobs, compounded by the lingering effects of the "dot-bomb" era, has taken its toll. As worrying, the students who do decide to pursue IT programs at the post-secondary level are having a hard time surviving once they're in. Streamlined high school programs just don't give them the core skills they need, and too many drop out.

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Could "hyper-local" social-media-aware programming be the saviour of local television?

Over the years I've had the distinct pleasure of contributing tech commentary to both CTV Ottawa (formerly CJOH-TV) in addition to being called on by BNN, Canada's national business news network. I received an email in advance of last weekend's "Save Local TV" open house from Paul Brent, CTV Ottawa's respected Tech Now show host, saying that his station's getting squeezed from two ends – recession-driven advertising cut-backs and the increasing diet for social media that parks previously TV-oriented people in front of their computer screens while they participate on Facebook and YouTube.

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