Future Tech Introduces Insource America™ as IT Outsourcing Alternative for Fortune 1000 Companies

LI Technology Leader Launches Training Program for Computer Help Desk Jobs

HOLBROOK, N.Y., Sept. 20, 2004 … Future Tech Enterprise, Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of Insource America™, an initiative designed to offer an alternative to IT outsourcing by taking individuals off of various government assistance programs and giving them skills and certification in IT Help Desk, as well as real-life experience working with Fortune 1000 companies. Insource America is structured to support rates that are competitive with current outsourcing options such as those available in India, China and Canada, in an effort to get Fortune 1000 Companies to consider “insourcing” their IT Help Desk support program.

The decision by Bob Venero, Future Tech's President and CEO, to create this program, comes on the heels of a revised report by Forrester Research last quarter that predicts the outsourcing of 830,000 jobs abroad, with the bulk of those opportunities representing IT positions that will in all likelihood find their way to India. More alarming to the U.S. workforce is the prediction that we will see the loss of 3.3 million U.S. jobs to overseas alternatives by 2015.

“Obviously it's a concern, especially in today's political climate,” offered Venero. “We've got Americans that are out of work, many of which are desperate to support their families and we, as leaders of industry, need to step up and effect a better system to empower those individuals to get back on their feet. Insource America lets us do that, and at the same time gives corporations a viable and maybe more importantly --- an economically-feasible plan for bringing some of these jobs back home.”

Plans for Insource America were announced by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in conjunction with the Grand Opening of Future Tech's IBM Ò ThinkVantage Ô Technologies Solution Center, a $2 million facility in Holbrook, NY. Senator Clinton, who has begun to make offshore outsourcing a signature issue, provided the keynote address, complimenting Future Tech and Venero for his vision and commitment to keeping jobs in our country. "What Bob has done is create a new paradigm," Clinton said. "I think this is going to catch on [and] get people to look at the real costs. We're going to reverse some of this, although we're not going to change all of this."

Future Tech is presently working with the Suffolk County Department of Labor to staff Insource America, taking those individuals on various government assistance programs and getting them into the 8-week training program that precedes their actually going live at the Help Desk as a Level One Help Desk Technician. Presently, Suffolk County has over 7,000 individuals on Public Assistance programs alone. “This is a wonderful example of thinking out of the box, and what we're always looking for with respect to getting help from the private business sector,” explained Robert W. Dow Jr., Suffolk County Commissioner of Labor. “Bob Venero's Insource America plan is a win/win for everyone involved and who doesn't want to be a part of that?” Dow further elaborated.

Individuals brought into Insource America, like Jenny Mondello, the program's first participant and a single mother of four who is presently on Public Assistance, make a six-month commitment to stay in the program. The training they receive while in this program, at no cost to them, is valued in the tens of thousands of dollars. Additionally, they receive a salary just above minimum-wage, as well as keep their public assistance benefits, although adjusted. This combined compensation package ensures a quality of life standard for the program participants while at the same time allowing Future Tech to offer this IT Help Desk service to corporations at a significantly discounted rate that is competitive with current outsourcing options.

Mondello is thrilled at the opportunity that the Insource America™ program is affording her. “This is my chance to help not just myself, but my family,” said Mondello. “This is a wonderful opportunity that I am being given and I intend to make the most of it and build a better life for my family. I'm grateful to be a part of this.”

Mondello, along with other participants of Insource America will receive comprehensive training within their compensation package, as provided by Stony Brook's College of Engineering & Science, which has joined Insource America as the exclusive training partner for this endeavor. “We've created a fairly comprehensive curriculum for the individuals in this program,” explained Patricia Malone, Director of Corporate Training Programs at Stony Brook. “We're obviously addressing the core IT fundamentals necessary to prepare these folks to work as a Level One Help Desk Technician, but we've also created a “life skills” component, which will include courses designed to promote what we like to call “life management” skills. We want to give them all the tools necessary to leverage their Insource America experience as a way of creating something bigger and better for themselves at the program's conclusion.”

There are multiple paths for Insource America graduates to pursue, as explained by Venero. When the individual graduates the help desk program, he or she leaves with a new skill set, industry recognized certification and hands-on experience interfacing with Fortune 1000 corporations. Future Tech will work with government placement programs and their customers and partners to place the individuals in full-time jobs, allowing them to come off of government assistance. “There are so many options for these people and we're really structuring this so these folks are operating from a place of empowerment once they've finished the program,” Venero explained. “What happens next, will in large measure, be up to the individual. If they're looking to move onto a Level II Help Desk Technician role, we would interview them for a job here at Future Tech where they would command a competitive market salary, or they can work through the various placement agencies associated with our program.” In addition, according to Venero, they can pursue opportunities with Future Tech's business partners and the very customers they serviced within the Help Desk, as these individuals will now possess an intimate understanding of both industry leading manufacturers' core technologies, and the technology infrastructures of Future Tech's customers.

Future Tech will also be launching two variations of the current Insource America program, one aimed at providing IT help desk support to government agencies, whose security needs are more stringent and complex than the private sector; and another IT help desk program designed to support the medical community, as hospitals and medical centers have different issues with respect to HIPAA compliance and the legal and privacy challenges associated with that.

For more information about Insource America, or to apply for acceptance into the program, please visit www.insourceamerica.net, if you're currently on some form of government assistance, please call the Suffolk County Department of Labor at (631) 853-6500, or contact Shannon Mallozzi at (631) 472-5500 x.7518.

CONTACT:

Shannon Mallozzi
Director of Marketing & P.R.
Future Tech Enterprise, Inc.
(631) 472-5500 x.7518
smallozzi@ftei.com

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