US Peace Corps deploys IBM Cloud to improve recruitment platform
Mobile and social set to become part of volunteer application process for US agency
The US Peace Corps has selected IBM Cloud to help build a new recruitment platform to process job applications and fill volunteer roles across the globe.
The announcement of the deal comes shortly after it was revealed that Finnair, Finland's national airline, selected IBM to provide it with cloud services and industry expertise to help drive digital transformation through policies such as mobile on-flight services.
Founded by president John F Kennedy in 1961, Peace Corps is a volunteer programme run by the US government with the mission of providing technical assistance, helping people outside the US understand American culture and helping US citizens understand the cultures of other countries.
Volunteers work at a grassroots level to develop sustainable solutions that address challenges in education, health, economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development.
Around 220,000 Americans have served for the Peace Corps in more than 140 countries and the organisation is in the midst of a 40-year high in the number of applications it receives for overseas programmes.
Most volunteers serve for a period of two years, meaning that the Peace Corps always has vacancies to fill. In addition to this, as a US government agency, the Peace Corps wanted to increase transparency for applicants, as well as making applications simpler by introducing mobile and social elements.
That's why the organisation looked to a cloud platform in order to use software-as-a-service (SaaS) to aid in the management of recruitment.
The Peace Corps previously selected Kenexa to modernise a system which comprised separate silos and disparate databases. Kenexa was acquired by IBM in 2012, but a newly signed contract will see IBM provide cloud services to the Peace Corps for the next five years.
Under the terms of the agreement, the Peace Corps is advancing its recruiting and talent management platform to include the full IBM Kenexa Talent Suite. The SaaS infrastructure runs on SoftLayer's Federal Cloud hybrid environment.
The Peace Corps plans to use the IBM Cloud platform's social capabilities to allow applicants to connect to each other, and Peace Corps staff, prior to going overseas.
"Federal agencies are viewing cloud much more strategically than infrastructure alone," said IBM US federal general manager Anne Altman.
"For the Peace Corps, it's about engaging an audience that wants to actively participate in the volunteer application process and is accustomed to using new tools for such interactions," she added.
According to IDC's recent federal cloud computing forecast, the federal government is expected to invest more than $9bn in cloud computing by 2018.