IBM to Add 800 Jobs in Baton Rouge

IBM has announced plans for a service center in Baton Rouge, La., where it will add 800 jobs over the next four years.

The services to be provided there include application development, application management and systems integration, according to eWEEK. Its website lists openings for application specialists from entry-level to senior positions.

The project involves about $74 million in public money over 12 years, including $30.5 million for an office building and $14 million from the state devoted to tripling the number of computer science graduates coming out of Louisiana State University. IBM was not asked to invest capital in the project – only to create jobs, according to The Advertiser, the Baton Rouge newspaper. That makes it a really sweet deal for Big Blue, which has been shedding jobs in North America for years.

In addition to the IBM positions, the project is expected to create 542 indirect jobs at other companies and 600 construction jobs while IBM’s offices are built.

The new development, expected to be completed in 2015, will be on the site where The Advocate newspaper’s offices and printing plant once stood. The mixed-used development will include an 11-story residential building.

Meanwhile, LSU plans to double its computer science faculty and triple the number of computer science graduates in five years. Part of that plan involves launching the “Geaux Digital Louisiana” consortium, a statewide partnership with high schools, community and technical colleges and other universities to boost interest in computer science careers, eWEEK says.

IBM is expected to work closely with the university on curricula for technology, math and software development courses.