The Idaho Software Employers Alliance (ISEA) is dedicated to creating connections between local enterprises and qualified software developers in order to meet the outstanding needs of both groups. To achieve that goal, ISEA is working very closely with education and commerce to fulfill its objectives. ISEA partner organizations include Boise State University (BSU), Northwest Nazarene University (NNU), the Idaho Department of Commerce, the Boise Valley Economic Partnership, the City of Boise, and the Boise and Meridian School Districts.  The ISEA Mission Statement and Initiatives offer a succinct definition of its purpose.

Idaho Software Employers Alliance (ISEA) Mission Statement:
The Idaho Software Employers Alliance partners with higher education to expand the economic vitality of the state by increasing the availability of skilled software professionals and promoting the opportunities available in the state’s rapidly growing software industry.

ISEA Initiatives:

1. Job Relocation: Make sure that the right message is getting to software professionals considering relocation to Boise.
2. High Schools: Educate high school students and parents about the opportunities in computer science (CS). Increase the number of student enrolling into the CS program at Boise State University (BSU).
3. Boise State University: Work with the BSU program to enhance the CS program. Discover methods of engaging ISEA companies in the program and improve the retention rate.

The Problem:
Business is booming in Idaho, particularly in the technology sector. According to the Idaho Department of Commerce, Idaho is home to over 800 software companies, with 400 of those companies located in or near Boise. The software industry is also the fastest growing commercial sector in Idaho. While this may not seem to be a problem on the surface, providing enough qualified software developers and engineers is a vital issue.

ISEA was specifically formed to address this critical need. The major stakeholder and decision maker organizations have banded together to form a “strike force” to confront the problem and to develop a unified business and marketing plan to meet current and future needs. This plan has several focus points.

• Encourage current students in local Computer Science and related university programs to enter into the Idaho software development workforce.
• Excite students attending Southwestern Idaho Elementary, Junior High/Middle, and High Schools, as well as students just entering schools such as BSU, in the opportunities a university Computer Science program has to offer them.
• Attract and recruit Computer Science graduates and software professionals from other areas of the country to Idaho by informing them of the tremendous opportunities for career advancement that exist in our communities and businesses.

The ISEA group of participants have created this web site for the education and benefit of any individual or company who has an interest in solving this problem and providing for a brighter future for the software development industry in Idaho. This audience includes students and their parents with questions about a future education and career in programming, companies who directly develop software or who require software development and maintenance to establish and expand their business, and any other group who is invested in the health of commerce in our state.