Press Relations

THE INTERNET SYSTEM FOR EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT KNOWLEDGE

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 11, 1999

MINNESOTA LAUNCHES WEB-BASED “ISEEK” FOR CAREER, EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT PLANNING

The connection between career seekers, educators, and employers just got better in Minnesota with the launch of ISEEK (Internet System for Education and Employment Knowledge), a web site dedicated to user-friendly, career, education and employment opportunity matchmaking.

In announcing the debut of Governor Jesse Ventura praised the site as an example of meeting the goals outlined in the state’s technology master plan.“Promoting Minnesota’s strong educational and employment opportunities is a priority for me, and ISEEK is the web site for doing it” said Governor Ventura.“It’s smart to use technology that helps people better their lives and grows Minnesota’s economy.”

The goal of ISEEK is to provide one web site for information about career, employment and post-secondary education opportunities in Minnesota. To facilitate this, the web site collects data and content from numerous organizations - both public and private, packages it and presents it in a user-friendly format. "ISEEK's state-of-the-art Oracle database technology allows visitors a level of customization that very few other web sites can offer" say's Bobby Wangaard, Vice President of Minnesota High Tech Association.

The newly launched web site includes information on more than 450 occupation and education clusters with supporting job market data such as current employment outlook by industry and potential earnings for each occupation. A unique feature to ISEEK is the easy link between an occupational description and open jobs within that field. The site is rounded out by a database of more than 200 public and private schools, colleges and universities in Minnesota and more than 5,000 academic programs which allows users to find education that matches their career choice.

An integrated outdoor, radio and print campaign for ISEEK will launch on August 16, 1999. According to Antonio Oftelie, Business Development and Marketing Director for ISEEK, - ”the ‘seek and you will find’ campaign will communicate to Minnesotans the benefits of using ISEEK for all their education and employment needs. Our objective is to start building a brand that will support our goal of making ISEEK the career, education and employment portal in Minnesota.”

National exposure is also on the horizon for ISEEK.According to Acting Executive Director Gary Langer, “ISEEK is working very closely with the Federal Department of Labor on its America’s Learning Exchange (ALX) and America’s Job Bank (AJB) initiatives.We are building and positioning ISEEK to be replicated by other states and to be the model for state specific education and employment web sites.”

Governor Ventura points to ISEEK as a good example of what can be achieved through successful partnerships with education, government and private organizations."For Minnesota to be a leader in the country, we need to encourage projects like ISEEK,” he said. “I believe that ISEEK will be a tremendous resource for all Minnesotans, and it is a perfect example of why I fought so hard for legislative approval for an increase in technology funding.”

ISEEK board member Paul Wasko of the Minnesota Office of Technology agrees that ISEEK is a good example of interagency collaboration and teamwork."Funding from the Minnesota Legislature coupled with the shared resources and initiative of numerous organizations has enabled us to move ISEEK from vision to reality in a remarkably short period of time," he said.

The web site is managed by iSeek Solutions, an organization made up of numerous state agencies and private partners.

iSeek Solutions' latest headlines:

Minnesota's First Ever "E-Learning Summit" To Take Place In May - January 17, 2002

SkillsNET Forges Strategic Alliance with iSeek Solutionsä - November 2, 2001

New Health Care Partnership Creates Excitement about Careers that Keep Minnesota Healthy - October 5, 2001

State of Minnesota Launches Site for Electronic Learning - April 2, 2001

Major Agreement will connect career seekers, educators and employers - September 25, 2000

Minnesota Launches Web-Based "ISEEK" for Career, Education and Employment Planning - August 11, 1999