Communications of the ACM
Get Them While They're Young: Tomorrow's It Pros
The Canadian Coalition for Tomorrow's ICT Skills (CCICT) is hoping to increase the number of students studying information technology through its new National ICT Week event. "We need to get the word out as to how the world is changing, and change people's attitudes toward IT as a career plan," says CCICT executive director David Ticoll. The National ICT Week events will be split over several days in the late fall across five Canadian cities, and will contain different parts for specific audiences, including educators, employers, and students. Half of the event will focus on seminars, meet-and-greet sessions, and contests and awards, and the other half will feature demonstrations of innovative IT technologies in various industries. "In addition to being afraid of the dot-com crash fall-out and offshoring, [students] don't really think an IT career is competitive," Ticoll says. "But the reality is that the demand profile is changing: around 25 per cent of IT workers are business analysts, and those are the most in demand." Info-Tech Research Group analyst Jennifer Perrier-Knox says it is important to emphasize that IT careers are a good fit for the millennial worker because they offer job flexibility, interesting work, and the opportunity for advancement. Technology Association of Canada president Bernard Courtois says another strong approach is to show how IT relates to interests that people already have, and how those interested in improving the healthcare system or the environment, for example, can do so through IT.
From Computerworld Canada
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