Waterloo in top three for San Francisco Bay Area tech talent

The University of Waterloo is one of the top three producers of talent hired by tech companies in the San Francisco Bay area, according to a report released earlier this month.

In its Engineering Candidate Marketplace review for 2014, Riviera Partners reported that the University of Waterloo placed second behind the University of California -Berkeley among schools that produce the most frequently hired candidates in the Bay area, which includes Silicon Valley. Stanford University, Cornell University and UCLA followed in third.

Waterloo should view the results in “a very positive light,’’ Riviera says in an email.

“(Waterloo) is already globally recognized as a top school for computer science/engineering degrees, and our findings only reinforce that recognition,’’ the company says. It added that the appeal of Waterloo alumni “indicates their hands-on education experience translates well into high-value careers in the engineering realm. In our case, among startups.” 

It is no secret, Riviera says, that Waterloo “produces candidates of high value to engineering organizations. As a recruiting firm that specializes in engineering, our clients expect to see us deliver quality people . . . UW (alumni) typically fit within that mould.”

The report comes as Waterloo researchers head to Silicon Valley for the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting Feb. 12-16. On Thursday (Feb. 12), Waterloo hosts the Waterloo Innovation Showcase and Reception in San Jose, CA. — an opportunity to demonstrate how research and entrepreneurialism flourish in the Waterloo ecosystem.

The Global Innovation Week and Summit, also in the Bay area, immediately follows, running Feb. 15-21. Waterloo, meanwhile, looks forward to its own event — the Waterloo Innovation Summit, Sept. 15-18. Waterloo has about 2,000 alumni in California, many of them working at Bay-area companies.