4. The enablers: Confidence

4.2 Capability priorities and challenges

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Capability actions will be coordinated around three priorities:

  • Equipping managers with the skills needed to engage with and use ICT
    to increase productivity and innovation.

  • Reducing shortages of skilled ICT practitioners.

  • Developing digital literacy and confidence in the workforce and our communities.

Exploring the latest developments in digital technology and their potential to lead to productivity gains requires distinct skills in managing organisational change and innovation. This is a new theme for the Draft Digital Strategy 2.0.

Our businesses, communities and public institutions need access to competent and relevant ICT practitioners. The gap between demand and supply is increasing.  Highly skilled ICT practitioners are globally mobile, and New Zealand needs to have an urgent emphasis on both developing the required skills and creating the environment to attract skilled people.

Many New Zealanders are now comfortable with digital technologies, but some avoid them, opt out, or simply lack the confidence and skills to use them. Being digitally literate in the 21st century is essential for all citizens as digital technologies become tools of choice for social engagement, information gathering and democratic participation. We need all New Zealanders to be comfortable using digital technologies.

The digital revolution is not being shared equally across all ages, regions, ethnic groups and other communities in New Zealand. How can the digital divide be bridged? – Summit challenge

Communities can play a central role in developing digital literacy. Communities are asking that the Community Partnership Fund be extended to promote new projects, and grassroots innovation,
and to scale up and replicate successful projects at a national level.

In developing digital capability, we need to:

  • improve the knowledge and skills of managers who will lead New Zealand’s economic transformation through the use of digital technologies

  • address the shortage of ICT practitioners by better aligning education programmes and industry needs to improve skill mix and quality

  • elevate the status of ICT careers and qualifications to attract and retain skilled workers

  • help employers to improve their recruitment and retention of ICT practitioners domestically
    and overseas

  • use an effective, coordinated approach to developing ICT practitioner skills

  • ensure that secondary school students are aware of and well prepared to pursue careers in digital technology and business

  • develop general digital literacy in schools, and in the community through voluntary sector organisations.
AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND PEOPLE’S NETWORK //////
The Aotearoa New Zealand People’s Network provides free broadband internet access in public libraries, so that all New Zealanders can create, access and experience digital content. It was initially funded by the CPF, in partnership with local councils.

The People’s Network benefits anyone who has access to a public library – opening up the digital world by providing access to high-speed internet as well as computers and training. Libraries and their staff also benefit as they build their skills and knowledge of the online world, becoming online experts and in turn sharing this knowledge.

The People’s Network is being rolled out in 2008 in Taranaki, Wairarapa/Tararua, West Coast, Canterbury and Kawerau, involving 35 libraries and 13 local authorities. It is another good example of a CPF project where central and local government have worked together to use community infrastructure to improve digital literacy in communities. It has recently received additional funding to 2011 under the digital content strategy.


3 Responses to "4.2 Capability priorities and challenges"
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Using ICT to enable flexible working (telecommuting) has existed as an opportunity for at least 10 years. It is not a latest development, but it has the capability to deliver significant benefits for the government's stated sustainability and workplace productivity goals.

Typical case studies quote:
For businesses:
* Increase productivity 15-60%
* Reduce absenteeism upto 60%
* Reduce CO2 footprint upto 60%
* Reduce office floorspace 30-40%

For participants:
* Improve happiness 7%

This is complex organisational change, involving collaboration between ICT, HR and FM (Facilities Management).

Few NZ organisations have achieved this. Our NZ example was from 5 years - the Kapiti Telecentre - it did not succeed.
mike (p)
Thursday, May 15, 2008 12:13 PM
The strategy does not identify the key drivers for the shortage of skilled ICT practitioners. If does not define the terms "ICT practitioners" or "skilled". Without a clear statement of the drivers and definitions, interventions are untargetted.


My assumptions are:

"ICT practitioners" means people who are part of the ICT industry.

- "skilled" means people who use ICT to add value to a business. They typically seek new opportunities for innovation.

- "unskilled" means people who maintain ICT infrastructure - they may be technically skilled, but they are not business skilled.


The shortage of skilled ICT practitioners in NZ is caused by a number of factors:

- Ageing work force
- Increasing overseas demand for ICT professionals
- An unscaleable model for ICT
-- every NGO and SME does not need a CIO, a mail server administrator, or a hardware technician
-- a consumption based model that assumes hardware replacement every 2-3 years



If this country is to lead the world, we need innovative solutions. As a suggestion, I propose an alternative architecture.

Computing could be done using a $300 thin client device, that uses 20 watts, starts in 2 seconds and lasts 10 years - connected to a virtualised server, costing 10c per hour to run. A subscriber can plug their card into any thin client and access their resources securely over the Internet.

This example demonstrates a solution that minimises e-waste, minimises capital expenditure / offshore profits, minimises power consumption and increases flexibility. The need for "unskilled" jobs reduces, because the access devices are just dumb devices.

This architecture is similar to the GSM network architecture. The ubiquity of the GSM standard has been advantageous to both consumers (who benefit from the ability to roam and switch carriers without switching phones) and also to network operators (who can choose equipment from any of the many vendors implementing GSM.

Several ICT companies in NZ have already implemented similar designs. The risk to our future, is that normal market practice is to vertically integrate the solution, so my Telco-T card does not work in a Telco-V device.
mike(p)
Thursday, May 15, 2008 2:49 PM
NZers need confidence in how their personal information is used, by the public and private sectors.

People are starting to recognise that their personal information has value, and that they can exchange that value for free services. This occurs with every aspect of life, from the physical (Flybuys) to virtual (Facebook).

There are a number of initiatives underway within the US to monetise personal data, and make it more portable.

NZ can lead the way, by developing a Privacy Commons, so that people can understand and transfer rights associated with their personal data, in an internationally recognised framework. This is similar to the Creative Commons concept and could be achieved using the same organisations. Cost would be $500k - $1m.
mike(p)
Thursday, May 15, 2008 3:32 PM