|
 MPICT
added significant new content to its website at
www.mpict.org this
quarter. The
ICT
Employment section now includes web pages on:
The ICT Framework can help people better and more consistently
understand:
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the various technologies and fields within ICT,
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how they inter-relate and are inter-dependent,
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what ICT industries are and why they are important,
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what ICT employment is, in any industry,
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levels of ICT expertise, and
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why all of this is so strategically important.
Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) is simply an
umbrella or catch-all term to encompass everything related to
computing, software, information, networking and
communications technologies. If it has or uses software
controlled electronic circuitry or is a technology that helps
people or devices communicate with each other, it’s ICT.
That doesn’t mean existing ICT related terms go away. ICT
doesn’t replace computer hardware or software, information
technology, information sciences, computer science,
telecommunications or any other existing terms. However, all
these fields or terms are related, and at a high level, we
should be aware how they are inter-related, inter-dependent,
co-evolving and converging. At a high level, we need to be
able to fit these various pieces together and understand what
they are, what they do and how they are used.
ICT Industries
Information and communications technologies industries are
broadly engaged in:
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Producing, selling and supporting
computing and communications equipment, peripherals and
components (computers, cellular phones,
networking and telecommunications equipment, telephony
products, smart phones, printers, scanners, data storage
systems, etc.)
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Producing, selling and supporting
software for computing and communications equipment and
enterprise and user systems (operating systems,
enterprise applications, user applications)
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Providing, selling and supporting
computing, information, communications, software and
hardware services (cable and telecom service
providers, value added service providers, management
services, value added resellers, call center operations,
help desk, etc.)
ICT industries are a big and strategically important part of
U.S. economies, not only because they provide meaningful and
comfortable livelihoods for many people, generate good returns
for investors, pay lots of taxes, and generate lots of
business for other industries, but also, importantly, because
ICT goods and services enable and empower individuals and
organizations of all types and sizes to work more effectively
and efficiently. Sources of ICT industry data are provided.
ICT Employment
Rewarding information and communications technologies jobs and
careers support high quality lifestyles - not just within ICT
related industries. ICT knowledge and skills are in high
demand at most companies, no matter what industry.
At a very high level, there are 3 dimensions of ICT employment
knowledge and skills:
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ICT Users – Today, most
employees are expected to have basic knowledge and
competencies with ICT. In nearly all jobs, people are
expected to be able to use computers, computer operating
systems and applications, telephone systems, electronic
communications tools, and the Internet. They are expected to
be able to conduct electronic research and organize, analyze
and present information. We do not count ICT users as part
of the ICT workforce, but ICT user knowledge and skills are
required for most jobs. Your local community college can
help you develop those ―digital literacy‖ knowledge and
skill sets.
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ICT Enablers – ICT jobs
include entry-level through professional positions, in roles
that enable ICT users. People with greater ICT skills can
guide ICT users in technical support roles. Workers with
deeper knowledge of enterprise systems deploy, monitor,
manage and support ICT infrastructure and systems, for ICT
industry enterprises and for enterprises in most sectors of
the economy. People with deeper knowledge and skills in ICT,
and specialized knowledge and skills in other fields, work
with specific implementations and applications of ICT in
their fields. Diverse community college programs affordably
provide many ICT knowledge and skill sets for a large
variety of ICT-enabler workforce roles, useful to students
seeking their first jobs and to working professionals far
into their careers.
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ICT Creators – At the
highest level, the ICT workforce includes people with deep
and advanced theoretical knowledge of math, engineering and
science, who develop scientific theories, invent
technologies and create new companies and applications of
technology. These advanced and high level positions
frequently require advanced academic degrees and employ
people in academia, R&D operations of ICT industry companies
and roles developing specialized applications of ICT in
other industries. Community colleges help students
affordably prepare for this pathway through transfer
relationships and pathways with 4 year colleges and
universities.
ICT employment is a big and strategically important part of
U.S. economies, not only because it provides meaningful and
comfortable livelihoods for many people, but also importantly
because the ICT workforce enables productivity and efficiency
in all kinds of organizations and in virtually all industries.
There is a pyramid like the one above for all industries. Each
has a slice of the ICT pie. ICT employment exists and is
strategically important in virtually all industries.
There are knowledge and skill sets that generally apply to
each layer of the pyramid above, and academic and workforce
development programs provide a variety of educational and
training services to help people develop those knowledge and
skills sets. They are generally transferable across
industries. However, there are also peculiarities with how ICT
is developed and used in specific industries.
Imagine the pyramid above as a cone or pie. Each industry
slices into that pie and adapts and infuses it with
specialized equipment, software, applications and services to
meet the unique needs of its operating and regulatory
environments, scientific field, user, supplier and customer
characteristics, products and services.
Biotech companies for example use specialized ICT devices to
sample and test biological specimens and DNA. They generate
and manage large databases and have specialized analytical and
reporting tools. They have special operating and regulatory
requirements, like keeping samples clean and uninfected and
securing biologically active agents and information. Financial
services firms have very important information security
requirements that are both business critical and legal
requirements. Healthcare organizations have to secure patient
information and meet various recordkeeping requirements. While
the requirements, designs and applications in industries vary,
the fundamentals of ICT remain the same across industries.
No matter the industry or organization, employees need a good
general education and the benefits from experiences doing real
things in the real world to really add value. Business and
industry consistently demand of all employees: an ability to
communicate effectively, diverse problem definition and
problem solving skills, an ability to work well in diverse
groups, an understanding of social, cultural and business
contexts, motivation, an ability to find information and
resources, time management skills, analytical abilities, and
social skills. Academic programs and students who do not
address these important needs will be less successful than
those who do.
 ICT
Industry and Employment Research
This section of the website is primarily devoted to the 3
phase MPICT/COE ICT study in California, which is described in
the article beginning on page 1 of this newsletter. However,
the ICT Industries
section includes international, national and state sources of
ICT industry data and information and a report on ICT Primary
Industries using EMSI data and the same methodology as the
California report for California, Oregon, Nevada and Hawaii.
The ICT Employment section
includes international, national and state sources of ICT
employment data and information and a report on ICT Primary
Occupations using EMSI data and the same methodology as the
California report for California, Oregon, Nevada and Hawaii.
ICT Job Posting Websites
This section includes links to good online ICT job listings.
ICT Education and Workforce Pathways
This section currently includes a graphic to help describe the
many pathways people take through our public educational
systems as they enter the ICT workforce and grow within it. It
is useful in describing the many roles of community college
ICT education and the many paths students take through
community college ICT education. For example:
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High school students take community college courses to get
ahead with their studies.
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High school graduates and non-graduates find ICT related
entry-level jobs if they have adequate skills, but to
advance they need to improve their knowledge and skills, and
CCs help with that.
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Many high school or GED grads gain knowledge and skills for
entry level ICT jobs at CCs.
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Though high school grads may go directly to 4-year colleges
and universities, many also go through community colleges
for cost-effective transfer pathways to baccalaureate
degrees.
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Many baccalaureate and more advanced degree holders find
they lack practical, applied knowledge and skills demanded
by employers and cycle through community college for that.
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Many working professionals take ICT related courses at
community colleges to keep up with rapidly changing
technologies and to acquire knowledge and skills to advance
in their careers.
ICT is relevant to everyone, at least as an ICT User. ICT
enablers apply ICT technologies to enable users and enterprise
productivity. ICT creators advance the field. Community
college ICT programs serve all of these groups.
Back to Q3 2010
Newsletter |
