Industry bodies back 'best students' push - News - Business

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Industry bodies back 'best students' push

By Renai LeMay, ZDNet Australia
April 07, 2005
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/soa/Industry-bodies-back-best-students-push/0,139023166,139187437,00.htm

The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has announced its backing for a foundation established by the Australian Computer Society (ACS) to attract the best students to the ICT sector.

The move allows the ACS Foundation -- a provider of scholarship and research funding for the ICT sector -- to approach AIIA members for financial assistance with the industry body's backing.

AIIA chief executive Rob Durie said the body would not provide any financial assistance on its own as it was a non-profit organisation.

Durie added support for the ACS Foundation -- which has raised more than AU$5 million in cash and in-kind contributions to fund more than 400 scholarships and research grants for students -- was not a reaction to any immediate skills crisis in the sector.

However, while the market was presently "in reasonably good balance," the drop in the number of people signing up for ICT courses meant there was a potential problem "down the road". Bodies such as the ACS Foundation helped ensure ICT was "seen in a positive light by young people" when assessing their career options, he said.

The move comes amid debate over the ICT skills base in Australia. The Information Technology Contract and Recruitment Association (ITCRA), recently called upon the Minister for Immigration Amanda Vanstone to increase the 2005/2006 Migration Program by at least 10 percent in many skill categories, including information technology.

ITCRA executive director Norman Lacy claims "the Australian economy is about to face the largest global skill shortage (from 2005 to 2008) ever".

ACS president Edward Mandla said in September last year the decline in student numbers meant ICT has "skills shortage written all over it".

However, one local technology recruitment agency has rebuffed notions of a skills shortage and criticised the ACS and AIIA over their treatment of domestic technology professionals.

"There is a total lack of support for local technology workers from all quarters, including government (both state and federal), and "industry" associations such as the AIIA, ITCRA and ACS," said Vincent Teubler, managing director at Melbourne-based VTR Consulting. Teubler made the comments in an article exclusive to ZDNet Australia .