State appoints committee to tackle IT skills shortage

The State Government has established a new committee to work on solutions to the skills shortage in the Information and Communications Technology industry in Western Australia.

Industry and Enterprise Minister Francis Logan said WA had outstanding capabilities in the ICT sector and the Carpenter government was committed to its future.

"The ICT industry underpins everything we do and the future is strong here in WA," Mr Logan said.

"But its sustained growth depends on having enough skilled employees and this new committee will hopefully identify opportunities to help skill the industry."

The ICT Skills Shortage Leadership Group will include representatives from universities, TAFE, secondary schools, careers advisors, industry and professional associations, the Department of Education and Training, the Small Business Development Corporation, Scitech and the Curriculum Council.

Valerie Maxville, chair of the ICT Industry Collaboration Centre (ICTICC), said the new group would work collaboratively to resolve the issue of skills shortages in the local ICT industry.

"It will look at promoting ICT, teaching ICT and the retention and attraction of ICT staff,"
she said.

"We will work directly with the ICT industry to identify the skill set they need now and in the future.

"Our younger generation will play a big role in finding innovative uses for ICT, to enable all WA industries to be competitive, locally, nationally and globally.

"The group will promote the variety of ICT career options available to the State's high school students, teachers, career advisors and parents, as well as work with relevant academic institutions to examine the current ICT curriculum.

"A career in ICT is challenging, ever-changing and provides opportunities on a global scale - perfect for the tech-savvy generation that is coming through our schools."