Strong demand for information managers
There is an urgent global demand for information management workers who understand how new Internet applications can be used to boost business, according to University of the Sunshine Coast Associate Professor Don Kerr.
Dr Kerr attended the recent National Information Management Skills Summit, held at Parliament House in Brisbane, which attracted more than 160 delegates.
He joined national and international information management experts and business leaders to discuss best practice in the management of government information.
“The summit had a variety of speakers from as far away as Canada and the United Kingdom,” he said. “But they all had the one point to make: They are desperately in need of skilled employees to manage information for their organisations.”
Dr Kerr said speakers at the summit were acutely aware of the changing nature of consumer demands for services.
“A speaker from the Australian Government Information Management Office said research indicated that 41% of Australians considered the Internet as the most preferred method of accessing government agencies,” he said.
“The general consensus among these experts was that most of the Internet technology problems have been solved. The real problem is in finding people who understand how the technology works and how it can be used in the business.”
Dr Kerr said while the summit focussed on Internet services for government initiatives, there was concern about how well government web sites could handle newer Internet capabilities such as Facebook, YouTube and MySpace.
He also said there was extensive discussion about the “horizontal sharing of information”, so that people could change their personal details at one access point for all local, state and federal government purposes.
“These new ways of service delivery mean that both government and private organisations need staff who can understand the business problems as well as the technology,” he said.
The University of the Sunshine Coast has a Bachelor of Business (Information Systems) degree which provides students with information management skills and an understanding of computer and Internet technologies and their limitations.
For more details about this degree, contact USC’s Faculty of Business on <+61 7 5430 1221>.
— Terry Walsh