News release - YYC Tech & Product Management
Calgary-based tech-education startup shifts number of women and visible minorities graduating into Product Management roles regionally & globally
For immediate release: (Jan. 9,? 2023) — Tacit Edge launched one of the only successful gender and race Equity, Diversity and Inclusion-based (EDI) Product Management (PdM) education/training programs globally, placing a balanced graduating glass of visible minority and female students *successfully at companies such as Benevity, Microsoft, Deloitte Digital, the Government of Canada, TELUS, Shopify, ATCO and more.
In partnership through the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and with funding from Alberta Innovates , Tacit Edge 's 12-week Applied Product Management Program graduated their first students during 2021/2022 and is currently taking applications, programming starts on January 14, 2023. The next classes will be offered in spring.
CALGARY FOUNDERS:
Tacit Edge is founded by Christa Hill ?and Renee Matsalla .?
The duo honed their skills with global companies such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, German-based Fyber, Morgan Stanley, and Calgary-founded unicorn Benevity, before launching Tacit Edge in a mission to make Product Management an accessible and equitable field for all who are eager to bridge their skills into the technology and other sectors.?
The founders are not only passionate and successful Product Managers but entrepreneurs who know firsthand what it’s like to break into a gate-kept field and industry.
“Product Management is a career that has very few opportunities to gain post-secondary education unless you’re already hired at a company and rise through the ranks or participate in online theory-only education. It’s often trained in-house, yet businesses regionally and globally need diverse Product Managers,” Renee Matsalla says. “Companies don't have a trusted standard source of Product Managers to draw from, and students struggle to find a trusted high-quality place for low-risk hands-on learning. These are the 2 sides of the problem we are seeking to solve.”
The 12-week Applied Product Management Program impacts individuals and industry regionally by helping to attract, train and retain qualified Product Managers, a skill set which is needed not only in technology companies but all industries.
RESULTS:
*Since the Tacit Edge Applied Product Management Program’s launch with SAIT in May 2021, results indicate:?
This is comparable to industry stats that reflect the gender ratio in the field is historically dominated by 64.1 per cent males to that of 35.9 per cent female. While more than 70 per cent of those are identified as white.
Gender Ratio in North American population of Product Management professionals study by Zippia:
Race ratio in North American population study:?
?BUSINESS CASE/WHY THE PROGRAMMING IS SUCCESSFUL
Diverse teams are proven to produce outstanding results; attracting investment at multiple levels.?
The core of Product Management is identifying customer needs and business objectives while overcoming challenges and innovating. Product Management is defined as the business process of planning, developing, launching, and managing a product or service. It includes the entire lifecycle of a product, from ideation and development to ‘go to market’. It’s a field that bridges the gap between technology innovation and business strategy.
“Under-represented groups, newcomers to Canada and those who have faced adversity often make the best Product Managers we can imagine. Because these individuals thrive in ambiguity, and have already overcome challenging situations unique to their lives navigating the complexity of starting a new life in a new country,” says Christa Hill, adding that this is the cornerstone of the field.?
“Product Managers are wired and passionate about solving business, supply and technical problems with innovative, outside-of-the-box thinking born from empowered teams. Who better to take on these emerging roles on than the very populations who have faced adversity, ambiguity, and actively solving complex problems daily.”?
According to the Boston Product Management Association’s (BPMA) Study on the State of DE&I in Product Management research/survey, less diverse product organizations underperform more diverse teams. Less diverse teams share limited perspectives, build less successful products, and their teams perform at a lower level.
Similarly,? The BPMA’s research from McKinsey and Company showed that ethnically diverse executive teams outperformed non-diverse teams, achieving 1/3 higher (34%) higher financial results.? If the same applies to product management, non-diverse product teams risk delivering lower financial returns in addition to lower team performance.
TACIT EDGE APPLIED PRODUCT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM IS IN PART FUNDED BY ALBERTA INNOVATES
“The Product Management function is at the center of our innovation ecosystem, bridging the gap between technical development and market demand. It is the driving force behind the development and success of products the market actually wants and is crucial for driving the growth and scale-up of businesses in our ecosystem,” says Doug Holt, Associate Vice President of Investments at Alberta Innovates.? “We are pleased to partner with Tacit Edge, SAIT, and InceptionU, to build the Product Management talent pool in Alberta.”
STUDENT AND INDUSTRY IMPACT
Tacit Edge and SAIT’s first cohort of graduates (upwards of 60 students) are already experiencing successful placement in prominent Alberta-based, Canadian and global companies, such as Attabotics, Benevity, Microsoft, Deloitte Digital, the Government of Canada, TELUS, Shopify, ATCO, Virtual Gurus and more.?
领英推荐
For students such as Kelly Medeiros, the mentorship and coaching they receive from the program and Hill and Matsalla have helped set a foundation for them to enter the industry with confidence.
“Their hands-on approach gave me actual experience in creating a technical product from inception to delivery. I still refer to my course notes and materials when I’m faced with uncertainty in my current role,” says Kelly Medeiros, Program Manager, Microsoft. “I am constantly sharing their teachings with my peers and colleagues to improve our processes and products.?
“Christa and Renee are not only industry leaders in their field, but they care so much about their clients that they mentor and coach. They supported me during every step of my pivot and were vulnerable in sharing their own experiences. I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for their course, support, and mentorship."?
Tech companies such as Calgary-based Goodlawyer who have taken part in the programming and worked with students from the first cohorts are also blown away by results.?
"I got to propose a real-world UX problem from Goodlawyer and I had three talented and mature students work on it for six weeks. They conducted interviews, designed, and executed surveys, led ideation sessions, designed wireframes leading to a functional prototype and effectively communicated their insights. All in six weeks on evenings and weekends. They are fab indeed!"? Thomas Alvarez , Chief Product Officer/Co-Founder, Goodlawyer.
NEXT STEPS?
The Tacit Edge Applied Product Management Program at SAIT is part of the Centre for Continuing Education and Professional Studies 2023 programming offerings, which focus on technology courses, including Product Management, User Experience Design and Product Go-To-Market Strategy.?
Tacit Edge has plans to scale the Product Management programming for industry and post-secondary partners in the coming year. There are online courses available as well, more info at TacitEdge.ca.?
“We can design this training for companies and post-secondaries alike. We can’t wait to bring the world diverse talent, and the next generation of successful Product Managers who are primed to disrupt industry and help solve problems for businesses and people alike,” Hill says.?
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Media assets located here.
Please contact us for more information, and to speak with the founders of Tacit Edge, students and industry leaders.
Media Contact:
Theresa Tayler?
Principal & Founder? | Start Me Up PR Inc.?
403.818.9689
Tacit Edge:
Christa Hill and Renee Matsalla?
Co-Founders | Tacit Edge Product Leadership
PHONE: 403.689.8559
About Tacit Edge
The road to Product Management (PdM) excellence is unclear. Tacit Edge was founded to change that. With decades of experience working with the world’s biggest companies, such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Morgan Stanley, and on-the-ground experience building unicorn start-ups, our founders know what it takes to build successful products. Through training and personalized coaching, you and your teams can become the passionate product leaders you were meant to be. Our dream is to open doors for everyone to find the path to product. That pathway starts with you, tapping into your motivation and drive to build amazing products. So join us and let’s change the world together.
About SAIT
Established in 1916, SAIT was the first publicly funded technical school of its kind in North America. Today, SAIT is a global leader in applied education and research, serving more than 50,000 students annually. SAIT offers certificate, diploma, post diploma, apprenticeship and applied degree programs, baccalaureate degrees, corporate training and more than 1,000 continuing education courses as well as six dedicated and award-winning research areas. Curriculum and research at SAIT is developed through industry partnerships to ensure graduates and industry have the skills and knowledge required in the workplace. SAIT is honoured to be selected by Mediacorp Canada Inc. as one of Alberta’s Top Employers for 2022, and to be ranked sixth in Research Infosource Inc.’s Top 50 Research Colleges in Canada for 2021.
About Alberta Innovates
Alberta innovates is the province’s most comprehensive research and innovation agency. From funding to commercialization, we are Alberta’s innovation engine. We foster and accelerate research and innovation to benefit citizens and drive economic growth. Our total managed portfolio impact is $1.2 billion in value encompassing 1,320 active projects. Alberta Innovates works across sectors to fund, partner and enable entrepreneurship throughout the province. The corporation operates in 11 locations with more than one million sq ft of industrial testing and lab facilities and 600 acres of farmland. Alberta Innovates employs 589 highly skilled scientists, business and technical professionals and has an annual operating budget of $250 million. Learn how Alberta Innovates.