Navisite to Continue Free AJB Services

   

Per their press release:

   

“NaviSite…today announced that the Company will continue to operate the America’s Job Bank (AJB). NaviSite will continue to offer services to its clients, constituents, employers and job seekers without any interruption in service and at no charge when the funding for the AJB program ends in July 2007.”

   

The company has a new address at www.americasjobbank2.com that retains the look of the current AJB system.

   

Per Denis Martin, NaviSite CTO and Managing Director of the AJB program, “NaviSite has designed, developed and operated America’s Job Bank’s website for more than 10 years – we know the system inside and out.  We have the unique combination of infrastructure resources and expertise to enhance the current system and effectively grow the employment services component of NaviSite’s business.  NaviSite understands the specific needs of State government, including specific data exchange, compliance and reporting requirements that we’ve worked hand-in-hand with these organizations to define and build.  We plan to offer States and other organizations the ability to customize and integrate this platform with their own systems - an approach that was previously difficult to accomplish within the constraints of the public government’s processes and procedures.“

   

NaviSite is reaching out to AJB users to inform them of the continued service at no charge and is working with the National Association of State Work Force Agencies (NASWA) to include their membership in the program.  The Company is finalizing plans to ensure a seamless transition, while defining a roadmap for new functionality and features that will be released as part of the continued service.

   

Concluded Martin, “NaviSite will continue to provide the America’s Job Bank user community with value-added services – based upon a flexible, scaleable solution and deep knowledge of the data and needs of end users.  Our goal in the coming months is to assure current users that they can plan for business as usual, while continuing to receive the high levels of service and increased features and functions in the near future.”

   

No question that NaviSite knows AJB and has the support infrastructure to continue providing AJB-like services.  The question is this:  Will States share information, collected under a publicly funded employment program, with a private for-profit firm?  When AJB was funded by the Department of Labor and managed by the State of New York, sharing information was no problem.  Now, I wonder.  Working with NASWA is a smart move, but I wouldn’t bet on mass adoption by the States.

   

Comments

[David Morman]

Navisite promises a "free" site that will be financed by advertising revenue. Job sites using a business model based on advertising revenue do not have a good track record in the market space. Moreover, whatever promises are made at the outset can be offset and overturned by poor market performance when you are a for profit company. You either make your revenue targets or pay the price.

[Bob Wilson]

Hi Dave,

Thanks for posting feedback. Excellent points!

Bob :-)