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ACS News

ACS staff, Information Age

18/08/2005 14:43:52

Foundation's Work Integrated Learning program gathers pace

The ACS Foundation's Work Integrated Learning program has attracted significant interest from the ICT industry, with several major vendors signing up to fund scholarships and mentor interns.

Falling student enrolments and growing demand for new graduates has forced many ICT employers to recognise the value of being able to test the water with future graduates by providing funded internships during the course of their degrees.

As a national body with strong relationships with ACS-accredited universities from across Australia and a flexible scholarship program, the Foundation is the ideal partner for these organisations.

ACS Foundation chairman John Debrincat said it's been a great year for the Foundation, both in terms of overall growth and the relationships that have been forged.

"During the 2004 financial year, we not only increased scholarship revenues by 26 per cent, but we secured the support of key industry stakeholders like IBM, Microsoft and Agilent.

"The involvement of these companies shows that the ACS Foundation is starting to be well accepted. These vendors are using it as a mechanism to manage their work-integrated learning style scholarships and have become strong supporters of the Foundation," he said.

IBM currently has over 10 scholarships operating through the Foundation, with the potential for that to increase significantly over the next 12-18 months.

Jeremy Crooks, IBM's internship program manager, said the flexibility of the ACS Foundation's model and its ability to provide students in different locations was very attractive to IBM. "Partnering with the ACS Foundation has enabled us to streamline our administration and reduce the time required to identify appropriate candidates. The fact that the ACS Foundation is a national organisation means we can use the same body to place students in Ballarat, Melbourne and Sydney. They handle all the initial interviews and provide IBM with a short-list of appropriate candidates, significantly reducing the drain on our resources."

Crooks said the work integrated learning program allowed IBM to test the mettle of high performing students as potential future employees while giving them real-world experience on actual customer projects.

"All our scholarships are project-based and give the students the opportunity to work with experienced IBMers to deliver value to clients. They participate in a comprehensive training program and receive full orientation to IBM's strategy, history, culture and processes as well as being 'buddied up' with mentors who are past graduates and can understand what they're going through and provide helpful insights."

Agilent Technologies, the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis, currently operates 11 scholarships through the ACS Foundation in Melbourne, home to Agilent's largest site of its Data Networks Division (DND).

Agilent's HR specialist, staffing and learning and development, Chris Davern, said the company is saving money by using the Foundation instead of an employment consultant, which means more funds are available for internships.

"As a leading ICT vendor, we are delighted to be able to link in with the ACS as the professional association for our industry and take advantage of its relationships both with the universities and with other ICT employers. Through the Foundation, we can tap into other organisations employing interns and look at best practice ways of managing students, as well as broaden our relationships with a wider network of universities.

Davern said Agilent sees the scholarship program not only as a way of contributing to the industry, but also as a key element of its long-term recruitment process.

"We definitely see the potential to employ some of these students once they graduate. It's a natural partnership. We operate in the high-tech industry and these students are our future employees. We want to employ professionals and Agilent as a global organisation has a specific intent to partner with universities for graduate hire. The ACS Foundation really streamlines and enhances that process," he said.

The work integrated learning scholarships provide funding of around $28,000 to the students placed under the program, providing a financial cushion to allow them to focus on their internship for 12 months.

Scholarship holder Robbie Materia has spent the past eight months working at Agilent as part of a marketing multimedia degree course at Swinburne University. He says the experience has been excellent and is very grateful for the opportunity to apply his knowledge and skills in relevant professional work.

"Agilent has been fantastic and the staff really went to considerable lengths to provide me with a role that interested me and would teach me new skills. My time is divided between marketing assistance and graphics and I've had the opportunity to work on several projects so far. My managers have been very supportive since day one and always make the time to listen and help me when I have questions," he said.

Robbie believes he's a different person from the one who walked in the door at Agilent several months ago.

"By the time I go back to uni, I will have matured a lot. I now have a good understanding of how to conduct myself in a corporate environment and I've learned to be more efficient with my time and the way I deal with my workload.

"Receiving the scholarship has really motivated me and inspired me to accomplish even more. I'm sometimes surprised that despite the fact that I've only been here a matter of months, they trust me with work of high importance and that just makes me want to try even harder," he said.

"I really want to express my thanks and appreciation to the ACS Foundation and to Peter Rose for the way he assisted me in being placed here at Agilent. It's been a great experience."

Timmins named Young Professional

The ACS (Australian Computer Society) has congratulated South Australian member Debbie Timmins on being named the inaugural Young Professional of the Year by Professions Australia. ACS Chief Executive Dennis Furini said Timmins is an "outstanding member of the Society who has worked tirelessly on behalf of her peers and colleagues, particularly students and young professionals". "Debbie has volunteered thousands of hours to organise events, workshops and networking sessions for young IT professionals in South Australia and nationally. She played an active role on the South Australian Branch Executive, was a founding member of the ACS Young IT Professional (YIT) Committee and this year, when the committee was officially endorsed as a board, she became Vice Board Director," he said. The ACS nominated Timmins for Young Professional of the Year for her extensive work promoting the ICT profession at university open days, career expos and conferences, and her support for other students and young professionals. Last year, she organised the inaugural National ACS Bootcamp - an intensive three-day live-in event for students and graduates from around Australia to help them prepare for the workforce and secure a job. She came late to the ICT profession, discovering an interest in ICT only after buying her first computer in her mid-20s, while working on an automotive production line. At the age of 25, she began a full-time diploma in IT at TAFE, following that with a Bachelor of IT at Flinders University, which she completed in 2004. Throughout her studies, she has been active in her profession, joining the ACS and giving generously of her time to promote the profession, encourage ethical and professional standards, organise mentoring and work experience programs, and develop closer relationships between the ACS and other professional bodies. "Her commitment to her professional body is admirable. There has been a sharp rise in student and graduate memberships - some of which is directly attributable to her passion, enthusiasm and drive, and to the numerous events she organises on behalf of the ACS," Furini said. For Timmins herself, the award came as a complete surprise: "It was an enormous honour to be nominated and I was completely blown away to have won it," she said. "It's really inspired me to know that the work I've done has been noticed, but to be honest, the true satisfaction comes when other young professionals tell me they've managed to get a job because of something I've done or I've helped them in some way. That's what makes everything worthwhile." Furini said members like Timmins give him enormous confidence in the future. "I have great admiration for Debbie Timmins and her obvious dedication to furthering the IT profession, particularly for young people. With people like her as the next generation of ICT professionals, our industry will continue to go from strength to strength."

Papers sought for ASWEC 2006

Research and industry papers are being sought for the 17th Australian Software Engineering Conference (ASWEC) to be held at Australian Technology Park in Sydney between April 18 and 21, 2006. ASWEC provides researchers, practitioners, and educators with a platform to present and discuss the most recent, innovative and significant findings and experiences in software engineering research and practice. In 2006, the conference will feature sessions for technical papers, industrial experience reports, workshops and tutorials. ASWEC 2006 welcomes contributions in the form of original, unpublished results of finished or ongoing research, meaningful industrial experience reports, and proposals for holding tutorials and workshops on topics that cover important software engineering issues. The ASWEC 2006 organising committee invites all members of the software engineering community to gather for this noteworthy event, which will provide opportunities to discuss and exchange views on different aspects of software engineering field. Go to http://www.aswec.org for further information on the conference and important dates.

ACS commends Vic. broadband push

The ACS has publicly commended the Victorian Government's initiative to roll out high speed, optical fibre broadband across the state, saying it represents a significant growth opportunity for regional and rural businesses in that state.

ACS President Edward Mandla said the availability of 4Mb/s Internet access would alleviate the need for businesses to locate themselves in metropolitan areas, allowing companies to take advantage of the lower cost of land, facilities and labour outside the major centres.

"In one bold move, Victoria has set the standard on broadband for other governments to follow. While Commonwealth programs such as the Higher Bandwidth Incentive Scheme and the metropolitan broadband blackspots program also play their part, the ACS has never accepted that 256Kbps ADSL is true broadband," he said.

"By using fibre optics to deliver 4Mb/s, initially to schools and government agencies and then to businesses, homes and community organisations, the Victorian Government will future-proof its constituents for years to come."

The ACS Broadband Policy, released late last year, states that: "The development of broadband infrastructure to provide true broadband access to all Australians is essential to the social and economic future of Australia and is particularly crucial for rural Australia to reduce isolation, the constraints imposed by distance and improve health, education, employment and quality of life options for rural communities."

Currently 77 per cent of Victoria's residents can access DSL or cable, although not typically at 4Mb/s, but only 50 per cent of rural and regional residents have broadband access.

According to Acil Tasman, if Victoria achieves its goal of 70 per cent of residents using broadband by 2015, the state will reap the following benefits: • $15 billion added to Victoria's Gross State Product; • An additional 153,000 jobs; • A three per cent increase in real wages; and • A 10.5 per cent increase in investment across Victoria.

Multimedia Victoria also anticipates substantial productivity gains, reductions in operating costs and increased revenues for business, as well as wide-ranging social and community benefits.

Mandla called for other states and territories to copy Victoria's example, extending the projected benefits across the nation.

"Considering the current low unemployment levels and limited growth potential of Australia's economy, increasing access to broadband is one of the few significant ways in which our governments could stimulate new growth," he said. "The fact that Victoria is also the only state with a dedicated IT agency is a key factor in its willingness to recognise and embrace the benefits broadband has to offer. Other state and territory governments could learn much from the Victorian model."

Sydney to host IMB Conference

The second annual IMB (Information Management and Business) conference will be held in Sydney from February 13 to16, 2006. Organised by the University of Western Sydney in collaboration with Shih Chien University (Taiwan), Fachhochschule Wurzburg-Schweinfurt (Germany) and South Carelia Polytechnic (Finland), the event also involves associated academic and industrial societies.

IMB provides a popular and stimulating forum that brings together academic researchers and industry professionals to share ideas, exchange knowledge, consider new and advanced applications and discuss future directions on information management and business.

This conference gives an excellent opportunity for academics and practitioners to present their work and define the future of information management and business applications.

The conference organisers are committed to the success of this event and envisage its significant influence on the business information systems and management community internationally. In addition to contributed papers, invited talks and panel discussions, the conference also features vendor exhibitions, industrial workshops and tutorials.

Organisers anticipate more than 150 participants representing over 20 countries to attend IMB 2006. The deadline for paper submissions and tutorial/panel proposals is September 23, 2005. Visit www.aimb.org/imb2006/

Selling Australia to the world

Professional ICT societies are alive and well and more relevant than ever, according to Queensland ACS branch chair Mark Lloyd, who returned recently from a trade mission led by Queensland Premier Peter Beattie.

"The invitation to accompany the Premier reflects the continuing acknowledgement of the society's importance when engaging with government and industry on state and national ICT matters," said Lloyd.

"ACS Queensland has been a central player in galvanising local ICT industry and allied associations to speak with one voice with the Queensland State Government. This is a significant achievement in its own right."

He said Premier Beattie recognised that a healthy and vibrant ICT industry was crucial to national wealth creation.

"ICT is a real economic force multiplier. Unfortunately, state and federal governments have a mixed record in this area, and a poor one when it comes to sharing their ICT business with local vendors. To Premier Beattie's credit, he agreed to establish a working party to investigate these issues and put forward an impressive Government delegation to participate. This team is now working with the ACS and industry to find solutions."

The ACS saw the trade mission as another opportunity to forge ties with the Queensland Government and local business and to showcase Australia, and Queensland in particular. On this mission, business ranged from promoting Queensland authors, engaging with SAP and IBM, and advancing biotechnologies through to celebrating business successes of Queenslanders and indigenous university initiatives.

"At a function at the restored Grand Central Station in Manhattan, Premier Beattie told me he was looking forward to being a keynote speaker at the SEARCC Conference being organised by the ACS. He's also keen to back the ACS hosting in Queensland of the IFIP World Computer Congress, which is the largest event on the international ICT calendar."

While overseas, Lloyd met representatives from the US Association of Computer Machinery (ACM), British Computer Society (BCS) and Singapore Computer Society (SCS). He also visited the US Office of Small Business Administration in Washington DC, which is actively supporting local ICT industries. Microsoft and Unisys in Queensland also arranged visits to their respective headquarters in Redmond near Seattle.

"The experiences of the BCS are of great relevance to the ACS," he said. "According to Dr Mike Rodd, the BCS's director of external affairs, they are now experiencing phenomenal growth in membership after 10 years of modest growth."

The BCS attributes the increases to the British Government's recognition of the continuing failure of major ICT initiatives, decline in ICT education and the need for professional standards, and its mandating that vendors demonstrate the quality and professional training of their staff in bids for ICT business; and the society's work with industry to meet the needs of government by developing the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) and a Chartered IT Professional (CITP) qualification. "Mike told me that IBM, Microsoft and Oracle are leading the way in the UK in adopting BCS professional standards for staff to ensure continuing business and project success," Lloyd said.

"Similarly, Andrew Sansom, vice president of the Singapore Computer Society said their Government had mandated the society's Certified IT Project Manager qualification. Over a thousand Singaporeans have passed the tough certification exams and IBM and Microsoft in that country have also adopted the standard. In the US, the ACM offers, amongst its many educational initiatives, an impressive digital ICT library that is sold globally including to the Council of Australian University Libraries.

"As ICT is a young profession it is not surprising that governments, industry and computer societies have been slow to build the type of professional, legal, ethical and operational frameworks that have evolved over centuries for professions like medicine, law, accounting and engineering.

"However, it would be a dereliction of duty if Australian state and federal governments took 10 years, or only acted on loss of life due to a software failure in a critical system, to mandate professional ICT standards. In Queensland, the alleged practices of one doctor are leading to massive reform of the state's health system and further tightening of professional standards for medical professionals. If calamities arise in the relatively closely regulated medical profession, then the continuing high rate of major ICT failures in Australia should be of no surprise and grounds for considerable concern.

"Local industry and multinationals also appear to ignore the paradox of demanding certified accountants and authorised legal practitioners to provide service advice in key areas but do not demand similar independently recognised qualifications from their ICT professionals.

"Given the recent acceleration of adoption by overseas governments and industry for the types of professional certification programs offered by computer societies and programs like the International Computer Driver's Licence and Information Technology Infrastructure Library, it is difficult not to conclude that Australia's professional ICT standards and competitive edge continue to lag."

He said Australia had an opportunity to build a better ICT professional workforce in Australia and grow an exportable business if governments start mandating and adopting professional standards. He pointed to the way India and China, in particular, have massively increased their IT graduate numbers, have significant dependencies on ICT and understand the challenges of managing critical and large-scale ICT projects.

"There are hundreds of Australian companies that could have the potential to expand into Asia if there was greater local demand for the professional ICT services discussed here," he said.

"Australia can earn valuable export dollars and cement itself as a regional ICT leader in these high-value areas if government, industry and the profession act collectively and promptly - rich pickings indeed."

Queen's Birthday honours for ACS veterans

Two industry veterans and long-serving ACS members, Dr Gerry Maynard and Professor Shirley Gregor, were recognised in the latest Queen's Birthday Honours List. Dr Maynard was named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) while Professor Gregory became an Officer (AO) in the General Division.

Dr Maynard was honoured for "service to the information technology industry and to education, particularly through the establishment of professional standards and accredited courses of study in vocational training institutions".

A Fellow and Honorary Life Member of the ACS, he is also the first person awarded an honorary doctorate from Monash University's Faculty of Information Technology for over 60 years of service as a leading IT educator and practitioner.

He has been a member of the ACS since the late 1960s and has been active from both a local state branch level in Victoria and also at a national level. He was the Membership board director for many years and contributed to revamping the society's membership structure and still serves as the deputy director of the Accreditation, Assessment and Appeals board.

Prof Gregor was acknowledged for "service as an educator and researcher in the field of information systems and to the development of applications for electronic commerce in the agribusiness sector".

The ANU Endowed Chair in Information Systems at the Australian National University, Canberra, where she heads the National Centre for Information Systems Research, Prof Gregor is also the Associate Dean of Research for the Faculty of Economics and Commerce and current Vice-President of the Australian Council of Professors and Heads of Information Systems.

She spent a number of years in the computing industry in Australia and the UK before beginning an academic career. She took her Ph.D in Information Systems from the University of Queensland and has contributed to 13 books and written over 60 papers for conferences and journals.

The recognition of both ACS members was warmly welcomed by ACS President Edward Mandla.

"This is a terrific achievement. As our industry comes of age, it is important that we take the time and effort to properly recognise the pioneers of our own industry. We would like to see a greater number of ICT professionals recognised in this way. There were 530 successful Queens Birthday Honours List applicants this year and sadly only a small percentage was ICT-focused.

"The ACS is committed to increasing the ICT industry profile through the acknowledgement of talented and committed ICT pioneers who have contributed to the industry's development and growth. We welcome nominations of any industry figures who colleagues believe should be recognised," he said.

ACS CEO Dennis Furini congratulated both Dr Maynard and Professor Gregor for their significant contribution and dedication to the ICT industry and applauded the Government for acknowledging them through the Queen's Birthday Awards.

Nominations for President and Vice-President sought

At its November meeting, the ACS Council will elect a new President and a Vice President (to replace Chris Avram, who is eligible for re-election) for two-year terms beginning January 1, 2006.

The ACS is seeking nominations for these positions from suitably qualified members. All active members (other than the current President and the Immediate Past President), members of the Overseas Group, full-time or part-time employees of the Society, Affiliates, Students and Companions, are eligible.

However, being a current or past member of a Branch Executive Committee or the ACS Council is a definite advantage in coping with the demands of these prestigious positions, which are unpaid and time consuming. Nominations should include a brief resume and a policy statement. Candidates are expected to make a short presentation to Council in Sydney on Friday, November 25 to support their candidacy. The presentation can be in person or by teleconference. Nominations close on October 31, 2005. Nomination forms can be downloaded from the Notices section of the ACS members only Web site.