(upbeat music) >> Voiceover: Live from the Javits Center in New York City It's theCube covering Inforum 2017 Brought to you by Infor. >> Welcome back to theCube's coverage of Inforum. I'm your host Rebecca Knight along with my cohost Dave Vellante. We're joined by Martine Cadet. She is the Infor Vice President and head of the Education Alliance Program. Thanks so much for joining us. >> Martine: Thank you for having me. >> So let's start out by talking about what the Education Alliance Program is and how it came about, it's not very old. >> No, it's not old. Actually, we'll be three years in September. The Education Alliance Program came about, oh gosh, it was an idea that Charles Phillips, our CEO had a while back, he was looking about, how do we actually get more talents within Infor. How do we get people to even know, quite frankly, who Infor is, and drive some more market awareness. How do we make sure people are excited about our products and solutions long term, right. So, the future customers, the future partners, hopefully the future employees as well. So, through that what we started to do was, he created this position and luckily I was hired into the role. And we've built this program where we partner with colleges, universities, as well as nonprofit organizations. We invest in them to invest in their students. So, essentially the same products and solutions and technologies that our customers here are basically learning about and paying for, we train students on. So, through their professors they learn hands on immersive technologies that businesses run on each and every single day and then hopefully they'll get excited and they'll want to come to work for Infor, one of our customers or one of our partners. And actually, they can actually, probably work for any IT company or any company in general because ERP is so pervasive. >> So, have you seen, you said this started a few years ago. >> Martine: Yes. >> Are you seeing results yes? >> Yes, we are starting to see results. We are actually really, really excited. So, we've hired I believe 24 students at Infor. Our partners are starting to hire students as well. In fact, we had somebody hire one of the graduates just last week and we had our first talent fair on Sunday, which was exceedingly well attended, so there's been a ton of excitement. We have, I believe there are about 12 partners who are in our formal Partner In Education Program where we actually bring the partners in, they engage in the classroom and the training and have hands on experiences with the students themselves. And the students get to shadow them in real life situations. So, things like consulting, which are pretty hard. I mean in IT part of what we are challenged with is SAP and Oracle and Infor, we all seem to hire from the same talent pool and the folks basically go from company to company to company. >> Hundred people, 99 seats. >> Yes, thank you. And what you see is customers want somebody who's got 20 years of deep industry expertise and so we get it. But you need an opportunity to actually start building that industry expertise so what we've been doing is actually creating that pathway for the students to be able to do that and our partners and our customers are actually much more open to that then they were before. So, we're starting to see that pipeline truly grow. By the September of this year, I believe we'll have close to a hundred students who've taken our first series of implementation consulting courses at QNE, which we launched this winter. So, that's one of the biggest things that we've done. As well as we've got our Center of Excellence that we've also opened up at City University of New York. So, we've got a practical experience course, we've got students who are also going very deep around analytics and just kind of building from there. And I think the last time we had spoken last year, I think we had about 16 or less institutions. We've grown to 33 institutions worldwide. We have eight, I believe in Amia, seven in the APAC area and they represent over 400 colleges and universities. So, it's been, it's been really exciting. >> So Martine, can you frame the parameters of the type of candidates that you are recruiting? How do you find them, what are the requirements? >> It's a combination. So, it can be anywhere from a business student who's actually possibly thinking of being in finance who hasn't even thought about a career in IT or technology. But those are the ones with a business mindset that we actually want to get interested because they will make amazing consultants over time. To somebody who's transitioning from roles, right, so maybe they've worked for a couple years in an industry and they've decided, you know, "I really don't want to do the marketing piece," or, "I'm burnt out on the finance piece "and I want to do something different." We have them in our continuing education courses as well. And they bring a very different view to that course. Because they're now learning those practical skills for being either a consultant or a sales person or or whatever they've actually decided to go about and do. And our employers actually get way excited about them as well because they are able to think not just as a technologist or not just as a business person, but within that kind of gray area which is where the industry is going, you have to know a little of all of it in order to be supremely effective. Especially on this consulting side. >> So, big theme, AI at the show, the hard question, median income in 1999 United States was $55,000 dollars, it's now around $50,000 dollars. Man versus machine, right. Now humans have always been replaced by machines, but it's the first time, really in history, that it's cognitive functions that are being replaced. Thoughts, I mean many people believe, I think they're correct, that education is the answer to that gap. Education, creativity, the combinations of those things are what will help solve that problem. Your thoughts on just that topic in general and what role education plays. >> I think what we're doing around AI is so exciting and it's just amazing to work at a company, one, that has named AI Coleman after the women who were in Hidden Figures, but from an education perspective I think you're spot on. I think the only way that we can actually continue to compete as a nation is if we make sure that we fix the education problem and I'm really excited to work for an organization where we're taking a very active role in doing that. So, by changing the model of having people just sit in a classroom learning something where there's really no context for how it's being used in business and it's more about what's being taught today for the roles that are today. What we're trying to do is imbed this kind of thought, leadership into the classroom, open the students' perspectives on what's possible and get them ready to be thoughtful about, okay, how do we embrace technology? How do you think it differently? How do you become agile? Because a lot of the jobs that are here today weren't here when I graduated, right so, how do we change the idea of what we go to school for and what we get educated on that we are actually producing people who are able to be thoughtful and to merge and to find different ways to use technology to come up with different pathways that have not been thought about before. We've never thought that way, right? >> And to evolve as the jobs change. So, we're preparing people for jobs that don't exist yet and they need to versatile in their own approach to how-- >> And excited about it, right? Not be fearful. >> And not fearful. >> Exactly, not be fearful, yeah. >> Well I wanted to congratulate you too because you were recently honored by Network Journal as one of the 25 most influential black women in business. Congratulations! >> Thank you. >> What does that mean to you especially when you think about young black women coming up in business, in technology, and in other industries, at a time where, there's questions about really how much opportunity... >> It's surreal, it was exceedingly humbling. It's on the backs of an amazing team. Who has done a lot of work, I've got some really great people behind me that I push really hard and I am very grateful for. I also have an exceedingly strong family. Who, when I was getting the award I made the comment that I don't feel like I've achieved anything that my parents have achieved, my parents are physicians. They came from Haiti, they came to the U.S. to give us better opportunities and they've done that. And that's what drives me, and in terms of people of color, we've got such a long way to go, but we've come so far. And I just wish that when you look at the history of the U.S. and the world, slavery was not that long ago in the grand scheme of things, and every time the U.S. takes two steps forward, sometimes you take a step back and it might feel like we're taking a step back right now, but if you stay focused on moving forward we will get there. And we will get further because doors are opening and people are doing amazing things and we need to do, I think, a better job when we are in positions where we are more visible in making sure we open doors for other people and not being apologetic about doing so. Because I think there's coded language sometimes that you hear about on, "Well, I can't have a diverse pipeline," "Oh, that means I'm lowering standards," that's bull, quite frankly. There are plenty of people looking for opportunities perhaps they don't fit the profiles that have always put in place, but when we talk about technology and careers the one thing we've talked about and we know is things are ever evolving and changing, and there is no one set profile or standard. So you might find that this kid who's actually been out there doing very different things in the community and just showing themselves as a leadership person in that community is the person that you need in your org. But because we're not having sometimes those conversations across our very safe ponds and we kind of stay with the same people a lot of times, it makes it hard to make those connections. But if we just start talking to each other a little bit more and the ones of us who are actually in these roles be unapologetic about making sure we're having those conversations and opening up doors, I think things will continue to move forward. >> So, what is your advice to companies in technology and in other industries about getting those people, who as you say, do not quite fit the profile, the standard profile of what they think they're looking for but that do add new perspectives and new ideas and new insights into companies. I mean, what would your advice be to employers? Do they need to start an Education Alliance Program? Is that the beginning? >> That can be part of it, but they just, they need to stop being corporate and stop being political. I mean, I don't know how else to say it. Change is hard, and you can do all of the right things, but if a hiring manager is still going to hire everybody who looks just like them then it's not going to change. And I don't think people do it all the time thoughtfully. It just kind of happens. You have to make the change, it has to come from the top. It also has to come from within the ranks. You have to have the tough conversations. It has to be an embedded part of what companies say they actually value and then they actually have to back it up. 'Cause lot of times people talk about it, but it doesn't come with the, "Okay, well I'm going to give you the approvals." Or, "I'm going to mandate that, yes, "when you have 20 open positions "that you actually have a diverse pipeline." Not a, "I'm going to set aside X number of seats "for one type of person," but you should at least interview a diverse pipeline. Perhaps you'll be surprised in what you see come out. We don't thoughtfully, in general, do that, and I think that's one of the key areas companies can be thoughtful about, and then the other thing is actually looking for talent outside of the same five schools or the same five places that people go to. It's getting out of your comfort zone. >> Can we tell the story, just to get it on record, of Coleman and how it was named, how it was announced this morning? Because not everybody in our audience was watching. >> Okay, so I hope I do it justice. (laughs) I was one of the people in the audience, but essentially for the folks who hopefully have seen Hidden Figures the movie, and it was about the women who were monumental, fundamental, the reason why we were able to make it to the moon. So, when we were having issues and we weren't sure if we had all our calculations in place and they were really thinking, okay, can we do this? Are we going to not be the first ones to get there? Our astronaut said, "Okay, I need this woman. "I need Miss Coleman to actually check these calculations. "If she says these are right, then we're good. "If not, I'm not going." >> Goosebumps, Martine. >> Right? That was amazing, that was amazing. And our CEO had the foresight, the idea, and the chutzpah I should say, (laughs) to decide, okay, when we're thinking about AI and we're thinking about visionaries, we're thinking about what we need to quantum leap what's happening in technology, we're thinking about having that level of insight and intelligence, that is who he wanted to name the product after, and I was telling my team, you know, I was tearing up, like, I'm so proud to work in an organization where our CEO would stand up unapologetically and say, this is how I'm going to name my product and this will be, you know, go down for quite some time. And the family was there which was so cool. And we had a standing applause, the first standing applause in the room. So it was amazing. >> Well it's not often you get a standing ovation at a tech conference. >> At a product announcement. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. >> So I want to also just quickly talk about, piggy back off of this, and that is the culture of Infor. And you know, the things that we keep hearing about. It's a culture of learning, a culture of education, a culture that really starts at the top of bringing in different perspectives and also understanding the importance of, yes, of naming a new product after this black woman who toiled in obscurity and really was a hero of getting us to the moon, how do you create that culture? I mean and how to do you kind of keep it going? >> I think it comes down to leadership. I think it comes down to people you hire. It has to be every level of the organization. I think Charles does set the tone by doing things like this as well as other things like having an Education Alliance Program, quite frankly. And the way our program is scheduled we don't look just to the Harvards or the Princetons. We're looking to partner with community colleges that have amazing talent that possibly did not have the same access, but they still have the same possibility. So I think doing all of that is how you create the culture. Then making sure it is embedded in the people that you continue to bring into the organization and giving them the time and the freedom to have these sorts of conversations and embed it into the work that they do. So we've got creative people, like Hook and Loop, that in itself, so cool. How many IT companies said, oh, you know what, I'm going to bring over some artists, I'm going to bring over some film producers, that's the kind of thinking that gets you to diversity. >> Great, Martine thanks so much. It's been a pleasure having you on the show. >> Thank you so much. Thank you guys so much for the time, I appreciate it. >> I'm Rebecca Knight for Dave Vellante, we will have more from Inforum after this. (upbeat music)