Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Strategy

Western Australia’s position in the information economy

Planning for the future

• a lifestyle and living environment that is very attractive to the highly mobile international ICT workforce;

• a reputation for having innovative software development companies, particularly in niche markets such as the minerals exploration and mining sectors;

• a well developed social and economic infrastructure which includes high quality education and training institutions and technology-focused facilities; 

• being in the same time-zone and in relatively close proximity to major trading partners in the Asia region – WA is in a good position to provide training and IT related services to countries in the region that are expected to have a strong demand for these services; and

• good ICT infrastructure linkages nationally, including the development of innovative training delivery options.

The role of the training and employment services sectors

• the community, including the socially and technologically marginalised;

• ICT industries; and

• the general workforce, including skills upgrades.

Complementing this commitment to skills development, the Department strongly supports the sectors’ role in applied research and development and technology diffusion. It works closely with other agencies to develop industry support and industry attraction packages. 

Fundamental to achieving these goals is the development of a lifelong learning culture.  In developing this strategy, the Department of Training has identified three major themes relating to ICT skill issues:

Providing a skilled workforce for Industry
Industry reports of ongoing skill shortages in key technical and support areas, such as network management, database administration, wireless devices and internet programming, have provided the impetus for a review of the vocational education and training sector’s role in ICT skills formation. Retraining of mature aged unemployed and encouraging more women into ICT related careers are avenues for addressing skill shortages.

The opportunity has allowed the development of a wider vision of the sector’s contribution to the growing digital economy, in line with the whole of government push to support this transition.  Importantly, this strategy will proactively contribute to meeting the needs of the ICT industry as well as the ICT needs of many other enterprises not directly involved in the ICT industry.

Responding to the computer literacy/fluency needs of the Community 
It is estimated that up to one third of Western Australia’s adult population (or 400,000 persons) lack basic computer literacy skills. 

Research indicates that older people, the unemployed, other groups on low incomes and people with lower levels of educational attainment are most at risk of being left behind in the transformation to the digital economy. It is widely recognised that there is a strong correlation between the digital divide and existing economic disparities in the community.  Market research on the barriers and motivators associated with groups within the community attaining computer literacy skills clearly indicates that many individuals will not undertake training at a large institution. People in identified target groups are most likely to undertake training in small groups comprised of similar people and in locations that they are comfortable with.

Preferred training locations include libraries, cultural meeting places, clubs, TeleCentres and local government facilities such as community centres. The Department’s new First Click strategy focuses on communities.
A number of additional factors that impact on the development of strategies to meet computer literacy needs include:

• formal qualifications are not generally sought, except by those who want to demonstrate to potential employers that they are computer literate or want to undertake further study;

• self-paced modularised training is preferred; 

• promotion of computer literacy must focus on applications benefits;

• poor literacy and numeracy skills are a barrier to attaining computer literacy skills; and

• primary barriers to using ICT’s include: limited interest or understanding of the benefits that can be derived, time constraints, no home computer and a lack of skills.

Learning opportunities need to be extended to all members of the community and increasingly, the establishment of learning communities is seen as the way to involve more people in the learning process. Learning communities refer to small groups of people who come together to learn. The traditional learning environment of instruction in a class setting is not attractive to many people. Rather, many people prefer self-paced learning that is not focussed on individual achievement and that takes place in an environment in which they are comfortable. The encouragement and support of the learning group provides motivation.

The provision of on-line training and employment sector related services
The Department aims to ensure that the training and employment services sectors continue to develop their on-line capacity. This will be achieved by providing leadership and support in the take up of flexible delivery of training and of electronic career and employment assistance services. 

With regard to flexible delivery of training, the Department has established WestOne to support training providers make the transition to a digital learning environment. Digital learning integrates technology, connectivity, and digital content into the curriculum. A digital learning environment exploits audio, video, CD-ROM, websites and tools such as e-mail, computer simulations and real-time video discussions.

Providing on-line services to clients in the training and employment services sector is a high priority for the Department. These services not only offer convenience to clients by providing ready access to valuable information such as that provided on the Get Access site, they also enable organisations to conduct streamlined business transactions with the Department. The Department aims to support organisations make the transition to the on-line environment.

To ensure the training and employment services sectors are responding to the ICT skill needs of industry.

Identify and respond to unmet ICT skill needs
Industry networks such as the Information, Electro-technologies and Utilities Industry Training Council : http://www.ieu.com.au have identified a number of gaps in existing training delivery. For example, a new telecommunications traineeship is being developed in response to an emerging skill shortage for equipment technicians. 

IT Traineeships
A Certificate IV IT Traineeship program has recently been established. It provides structured employment-based training aimed at younger people wishing to gain employment and skills in the ICT industry. The Traineeship includes competencies that lead to vendor qualifications in a number of areas: Network Management, Programming and Database Administration. 

Work Placements
The Department is working with registered training providers to develop a comprehensive work placement scheme that will ensure all students have relevant work experience built into their course. This is in direct response to employers citing the need for greater job readiness from VET and university graduates. 

Vendor Specific Training
Apart from the IT Traineeship, vendor specific training is being introduced into higher level IT courses, thus making the training more relevant to industry and thereby enhancing the employment prospects of graduates.

Link Program
The skills shortages issue is partly attributed to the difficulty in matching employer expectations with the skills and knowledge of prospective employees. The Department is examining the establishment of a program that will link employers, including those not in the ICT industry, with suitable candidates.

Industry Liaison 
As a primary source of information on ICT industry skill issues, the Department will continue to provide support to the WA Information, Electrotechnology and Utilities Industry Training Council: http://www.ieu.com.au In addition, an ICT Skills Forum is to be established as a mechanism for addressing ICT industry and skills development issues by bringing together government, industry groups, training providers and other education sectors

Establish IT Specialist Courses 
The Department and training providers are currently examining the establishment of graduate certificate and graduate diploma programs. Several ICT related programs are being considered, eg New Technologies for Graphic Design and Multimedia.

To meet the computer literacy needs of the community. 

Market Research
Market research has been undertaken to provide a better understanding of the factors which prevent non-ICT users from either attaining or wanting to attain computer literacy skills. The report, Bridging the Digital Divide in WA – an Understanding of Computer Literacy Training Needs, is available on the Department’s website: http://www.det.wa.edu.au/trainng/training/content-digitaldivide.asp

Promotional Campaign
Reports on computer literacy suggest that the majority of people who do not use computers or the internet have the perception that they would not derive any benefit from using these technologies. A promotional campaign highlighting the benefits of ICTs in every day life is proposed.

Development of a learning resource package
A learning resource package which focuses on the most commonly used applications – email, internet, word processing and simple data-bases for household financial planning – has been developed. The package will be provided free of charge to the public and to all places that provide public access to computers.  It is expected that many people will pick up the learning resource and work through it at their own pace, either on their own or in small groups.

Intervention Strategies
While a large proportion of non-ICT users will readily utilise the learning resource, there are a significant number of people who lack the capacity or motivation to do so.  To encourage the uptake of computer literacy amongst this group of people, a range of intervention strategies is proposed. The $1 million First Click fund has been established to support intervention strategies.

A call for applications for funding from community based organisations will be advertised. Applicants will outline proposed strategies for networking with communities to encourage, facilitate and support the establishment of learning groups. To ensure that the training and employment services sectors continue to provide leadership and support in the take up of digital learning and of electronic business models.

The Department of Training is committed to placing all of its services, where possible, on-line. Sites such as the Get Access employment services site have proven to be extremely popular as they provide convenient up-to-date information to clients. The potential to expand the range and depth of services through this medium is considerable.  Streamlining business transactions through on-line processes is also a major priority for the Department. The potential for achieving cost savings and faster, more reliable transactions, is significant.

WestOne 
WestOne was established in 1998 to work on behalf of the State’s training organisations to develop, produce and distribute state-of-the-art learning resources in the converging technologies of audio-visual, print and on-line media. In addition, WestOne manages the intellectual property of the public training system.  The Flexible Learning Strategy (2001) provides the framework for further facilitating the implementation of flexible learning within the training sector. It includes a range of key objectives and the strategies for achieving them. 

Partnerships/Collaboration
Increasingly, business, research organisations and government are recognising the benefits to be gained by working collaboratively. The advantages, particularly in a State with a small population base, include cost savings, exposure to innovative ideas and processes and the ability of consortia of organisations to compete globally. 

IT Infrastructure
The IT infrastructure required to support the publicly funded training provider network is significant. The Department has allocated one third of its capital works budget to fund the infrastructure training providers require to implement flexible learning initiatives. This represents a major refocussing of the traditional “bricks and mortar” capital works program. The enhanced communication capacity of the VET system will also assist in addressing some of the problems of remoteness and isolation encountered by regional people.

ICT Industry Development
Given the mobility and knowledge intensive nature of the ICT industry, access to skilled labour and training opportunities is one of the primary motivators for industry investment. As such, a sophisticated and responsive training sector is recognised as fundamental to the development of a viable ICT industry.   The training sector is pro-active in its approach to industry development and works closely with the Government’s resource development agencies and with industry organisations and enterprises that seek training support.

Through the release of the Science and Technology Policy for the VET Sector (1998), the Department of Training outlines the role of the sector in areas such as applied research, technology diffusion and innovation. The Department’s Science and Technology Innovation Fund provides $1 million annually in grants to collaborative research projects, including those that relate to ICT. The Department’s website provides details on the process for applying for funding through the Innovation Fund.

Department of Education and Training
Level 2, 151 Royal Street
EAST PERTH WA 6004

Phone: (08) 9264 4242
Fax: (08) 9264 4281
TTY: (08) 9226 3370

Email: firstclick@det.wa.edu.au
Web: http://www.det.wa.edu.au/training/

This information is available in alternative formats

August, 2001