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Demand for ICT professional skills reaches all-time high

Philip Argy, Information Age

17/04/2007 14:53:10

In recent weeks, the Australian ICT sector has experienced record demand for workers with ICT skills, highlighting existing shortages in key areas and raising concerns about the potential implications of increasing demand.

Major new ICT projects in the corporate and government arenas, plus our growing dependence on ICT to enable almost every aspect of our lives, are fuelling the increased demand, which is a global trend that seems unlikely to diminish anytime soon.

One of the most frustrating aspects of this current shortage is the way it is being exacerbated by the industry's poor track record at attracting women into ICT.

According to the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA), only around 20 per cent of ICT roles are held by women, although participation rates are somewhat higher in the public sector.

When it comes to ICT, women represent an important untapped resource.

If the ICT industry could address this imbalance and attract as many women as it currently does men, the skills shortage would likely be a thing of the past.

Various stakeholders from industry, government and the profession are exploring a range of measures that seek to improve the situation, including:

• Greater mentoring of girls and women in the industry;
• Providing more role models;
• Offering more informed career advice to encourage girls into ICT;
• Changing industry culture to make ICT industry more welcoming to women;
• Changing the academic environment and curriculum to make ICT studies more attractive to women;
• Improving the image of the ICT sector through more contemporary marketing of ICT careers; and
• Changing HR policy to bring greater equality and work/life balance.

Our Women's Board, ACS-W, provides funding for various initiatives such as the Go Girl, Go for IT program in WA and Victoria, as well as developing a range of policies to support women and women's concerns.

This Board has an umbrella policy that states: "The ACS has an obligation to the Australian community to bring about economic, social and intellectual benefits through a higher participation of women in ICT. At national, state and regional levels, the ACS commits to create and support initiatives that encourage the entry, development and retention of women in ICT professions generally and within the ACS."

When the ACS released its Work Life Balance Policy in 2005, addressing the needs of women was a major theme, with a range of proposals aimed at improving job flexibility for working mothers. These issues were also highlighted in our Uncollared Workforce Policy released in 2006.

The reality for the ICT sector is that we need the skills and capabilities that women naturally have as strengths, such as their ability to multi-task, understand complex business problems and work collaboratively to identify solutions that drive change and improve people's lives.

Women typically perform well in management and project management roles, as well as those requiring strong communications skills and high levels of emotional intelligence.

Consider the fact that today's CIOs are increasingly focused on recruiting people who can build relationships across multiple stakeholders, cultures and orientations. They're looking beyond simple technical skills for people with strong capabilities in business, communications, collaboration and problem solving. It's clear that the opportunities for women are considerable.

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