IBM is expected to create 400 new jobs in Monroe during the next 10 years with a new service center, and Gov. Bobby Jindal says the state will provide $4.5 million in higher education funding at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Louisiana Tech University and Grambling State University to create more computer science graduates to meet workforce needs.
IBM’s service center, which will be built near CenturyLink’s headquarters, will serve both CenturyLink and other customers. An IBM press release says about 350 CenturyLink technology employees from around the country will transition to become full-time IBM employees in various locations.
CenturyLink, the largest public company headquartered in Louisiana, is in the midst of an 800-job expansion in Monroe. It plans to open the CenturyLink Technology Center of Excellence, a 300,000-plus square-foot addition to its headquarters, this spring.
“This is a combination of two great companies creating the kind of high tech jobs in Louisiana that will give our kids a career path that allows them to stay in the region and the state,” Jindal told The News-Star on Friday night. “It’s one of the most exciting announcements in a series of announcements involving CenturyLink.
