AIIA Gets Busy For the Election Year
AIIA Gets Busy For the Election Year
January 16, 2007: Launching into a Federal election year with a new CEO at the desk, the Australia Information Industry Association (AIIA) is working harder then ever to drive recognition for the IT industry and prove its worth to Australian prosperity and GDP.
Sheryle Moon has recently commenced her new role as CEO of the AIIA and already embarked on a mission to fulfil her vision for the Australian IT sector. A big part of that vision is recognition, one that works to show all levels of government, business and industry, the value of IT and also encourages younger generations to join the industry.
“4.6 percent of our total GDP is IT services,” she says, adding that if we also included in-house software development work into this figure, the result would look more like six percent. If the IT sector could be measured differently and this six percent figure accepted, then its contribution to GDP could well exceed market sectors such as defence, agriculture, education and mining.
According to the AIIA, measuring the real contribution of IT to Australian GDP is the first step in gaining the recognition it deserves. “It’s important for influencing new joiners to our industry,” says Moon. “They need to know that the ICT industry is one that underpins all prosperity. Both directly and indirectly.”
The next step involves education. Ensure all Australians have an ICT enabled education, secure appropriate access to the best ICT infrastructure and build children’s excitement in technology at an early age. “One of the challenges is that kids when they go to school, actually have PCs and broadband that is slower then what they have at home,” says Moon. “Kids often have fabulous technology at home then when they get to school, they don’t have any of the latest applications.”
When it comes to higher learning, Moon questions whether there really is a skills shortage in the IT sector as some studies suggest, instead it could merely be a matter of obtaining better information. “The number of people studying pure computer sciences degrees is in decline, but what about those studying it in conjunction with other degrees? We need better information.”
Chasing recognition of IT in Australia is about building more excitement around the industry, getting more people involved, educated and working in an industry sector that has plenty of opportunity and the ability to contribute greatly to the prosperity of the country.
Read more from Sheryle Moon, recently appointed CEO of the Australian Information Industry Association, in the upcoming issue of Image and Data Manager.