The rise of new technologies and globally dispersed teams is putting pressure on companies to help employees develop a new set of skills. Many companies are looking to recent college graduates to fill this gap, given their familiarity with collaboration tools like Instant Messenger and social networking sites like Facebook.

IBM is taking a stake in this growing effort, by teaming with Michigan Tech to <A HREF="http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/24387.wss">help students prepare for jobs of the future.</A> By working in teams consisting of students from different academic disciplines and geographies, the IBM sponsored Michigan Tech team (IT Oxygen) simulates what it's like to work in today's globally integrated enterprise (GIE).

The student-run team operates like a real business--students get paid, and the team pays rent and other overhead costs associated with running the "business." IT Oxygen uses IBM software to solve some of the complex IT challenges facing the university. Specifically, IT Oxygen team members are getting a chance to apply a service oriented architecture approach to improve business processes at Michigan Tech. All of the solutions developed by the team are done using open source technologies so they can make them available to other universities.