A report by the Toronto Regional Research Alliance, called Research and Innovation Jobs, found that for every 7 job openings in engineering and IT in the Greater Toronto Area, there is just one qualified recent graduate of a post-secondary program, a new study shows.

“The kind of jobs talked about in this study are critical to our future as an economy,” said David Ticoll, executive director of the Canadian Coalition for Tomorrow’s ICT skills.

Find out more in the Toronto Star.

Read the full story in the Financial Post.

• Dr. Drew Parker – Simon Fraser University
• Dr. Elie Elia – QUAM
• Dr. Ian Hutchinson – Acadia University
• Dr. Ojelanki Ngwenyama – Ryerson University
• Kerry Augustine – Director Application Management Services – Manitoba Government
• Jasmine Kanga _ Director I&IT Innovation and Development Branch – Ontario Government
• Erin Stein – HR Business Partner RBC
• Dr. Peter King – University of Manitoba (ex-officio)
• David Ticoll – CCICT (ex-officio)
• Gina van Dalen -CCICT/CIPS (ex officio)

BTMAC is responsible for managing the accreditation evaluations of educational programs and rendering decisions on these programs. Accreditation criteria are under development, and a pilot accreditation visit is planned for 2012.

CCICT facilitated the creation of the BTM undergraduate degree with a national committee of leading employers and university educators, to improve the quality and quantity of business professionals capable of implementing ICTs to achieve productivity, innovation, entrepreneurship, and competitive advantage. The BTM is currently offered at ten Canadian Universities.

To learn more, contact CCICT’s BTM Project Manager, Gina van Dalen.

The Coming Jobs War, a new book by Jim Clifton, chairman of Gallup Research, warns of an all-out war for jobs: “3 billion [people around the world] tell Gallup they work or want to work. Most of these people need a full-time formal job. The problem is that there are currently only 1.2 billion full-time, formal jobs in the world.” The greatest demand comes from burgeoning — and capable — economies like Brazil, Russia, India and China.

How will Canada fare? Consider the tech field — information and communications technology (ICT). Tech is big. Even while employers resorted to off-shoring over the past 10 years, our ICT professional workforce grew from about 650,000 to 800,000. From entrepreneurs to consulting firms to hospitals, organizations can’t find enough people with the tech skills they need. The tech professional jobless rate is about 3%, near full employment.

These jobs are important. In every sector of the economy, technology investments deliver innovation, better customer service and improved productivity. Tech is a big career opportunity. Yet many tech-related college and university programs haven’t filled their seats since the dotcom bust.

According to a 2009 Conference Board of Canada survey, most young people have a vague idea at best what a tech career is about. Those with opinions (along with parents, teachers and guidance counsellors) tend to think it’s about sitting in front of a computer all day in a job that could ship to India at a moment’s notice.

Women are especially turned off tech. Though a majority of the workforce and some 57% of university students, women are only a quarter of tech professionals.

Career choosers don’t know what the field is all about and question whether it’s a safe bet. Meanwhile booming tech jobs need people — and so do tech education programs.

The traditional response is to tell high-school students to enroll in computer science. But this response is too narrow. A better approach makes the field easy to understand. It identifies the astonishing variety of in-demand, high-value jobs. And it describes tech careers that are interesting, fun, cool, creative and social.

Today’s “Jobs 2.0” tech careers come in four flavours. They increasingly mash up tech with anything imaginable:

• Leaders combine business and tech to help projects and organizations succeed. Job titles include manager, entrepreneur, consultant, business analyst and project manager.
• Innovators mash up ICT with other technical fields such as smart energy systems, bioinformatics, finance, game design, art, security — you name it.
• Builders include programmers, webmasters, database managers and the like.
• Problem-solvers, 250,000 strong, include technicians, trainers, quality testers and support people.

“Leader” and “innovator” job categories provide the golden opportunities.

Jobs for tech leaders doubled to 200,000 in the past 10 years. Leaders are the link between the needs of organizations and what technology can deliver. They are also entrepreneurs who commercialize tech startups. These strategic jobs pay very well. They combine business and tech with leadership, collaboration and project management.

The main source of tech leaders has been bachelor of commerce programs that offer a Master of Information Science (MIS) degree. They graduate about 2,000 people a year. Meanwhile, demand has grown by an average 10,000 annually. Why the gap? Low enrolments. Few high-school students even know this career track exists.

As for the second career category — innovators — the mashups are limited only by your imagination. Consider Canadian theatre artist Robert Lepage. His productions include the reinvention of the Wagner Ring Cycle at the Metropolitan Opera with the aid of 24 on-site computer servers. Or startup Hockey Robotics formed by University of Waterloo graduates. The company combines mechatronics with biomechanics and computer-based analysis to design a hockey stick that won’t break, even with a devastating slapshot.

No matter what a student’s passion — be it the arts, life sciences, environment, law enforcement or finance — an “innovator” career can combine the cutting edge of that field with ICT. But this message isn’t out there.

Our organization, the Canadian Coalition for Tomorrow’s ICT Skills (CCICT), has taken this on. Founded in 2007 by Bell Canada, the CCICT includes 30 leading employers inside and outside the tech sector.

To address the unmet need for tech “leaders” we have reinvented the MIS degree. Designed by a national committee of employers and universities, the revamped program is called Business Technology Management. From a standing start in 2009, a dozen universities from coast to coast now offer BTM certifications.

We are also getting the word out, initially in Ontario and — with TechnoCompétences, a partner organization — Quebec, and with support from the federal, Ontario and Quebec governments. A multimedia website, CareerMash.ca, describes the Jobs 2.0 possibilities to high-school students. To draw students, teachers and parents to CareerMash and its ideas our outreach activities go directly into schools.

Where many remain stuck in the traditional math/computer science mindset, we see a dazzling array of tech careers. Canada has a unique opportunity to gain strategic advantage in this area of the increasingly competitive global knowledge economy.

National Post

dticoll@ccict.ca

David Ticoll is executive director of the Canadian Coalition for Tomorrow’s ICT Skills.

CareerMash exists to take on a critical challenge. Not enough young people, and particularly not enough girls, are choosing the tech-related careers that meet the needs of today’s employers. CCICT and its members, some of Canada’s largest banks, retailers, manufacturers, IT, consulting and telecom firms, have come together in partnership with the Federal, Ontario and Quebec governments, as well as a number of leading industry organizations to change the perceptions and career choices of young people.

CareerMash Activities

The centerpiece of CareerMash is a new Web site – www.CareerMash.ca. that informs young people, and the adults in their lives, about these inspiring tech-related career opportunities. Its multimedia profiles of young tech leaders, innovators, builders and problem-solvers, combined with inspiring learning pathways, daily news feeds, and much more, will help students separate fact from fiction.

To engage students with CareerMash.ca, CCICT is launching an online CareerMash Scavenger Hunt. Students can win one of three grand prizes of $3,000 or one of 18 weekly cool tech prizes (tablets, cameras, gaming consoles) by correctly answering questions about the site. The contest runs from September 15 to October 25, 2011.

Not forgetting the personal touch, as part of CareerMash, volunteers will give presentations to high school students across the GTA and Kitchener-Waterloo as living examples of today’s mashed tech careers. CCICT member companies and post-secondary institutions will also open their doors to students to demonstrate today’s tech career mashups.

CareerMash reaches a crescendo on October 28 at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall. Over 2000 high schools students will visit interactive booths hosted by a diverse array of companies, post-secondary programs and industry associations showcasing tech-related career paths.

“Today’s tech career mashups are far more interesting, fun, cool creative, and social than many people think”, says David Ticoll, CCICT’s Executive Director. “When we dispel the myth of boring desk-bound tech jobs, more young people – including young women – will opt for today’s exciting tech-related opportunities. This will enable Canada to be a leader in the 21^st century knowledge economy.”

Founded by Bell in 2007, CCICT is an industry-led coalition of employers, universities and industry organizations dedicated to bringing 21st century tech-related careers to the forefront. In addition to CareerMash, CCICT has created a new undergraduate university program, Business Technology Management (BTM), to prepare young people for the leadership jobs of today and tomorrow. A dozen top-tier universities across Canada have adopted BTM.

This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program and made possible by the participation of ICTC, Canada’s Information and Communication Technologies Council. CCICT receives funding from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, over 30 corporate members. CCICT is working in collaboration with its Québec partner. TECHNOCompétences, creators of the soon to be launched www.macarrieretechno.com. For more information about CCICT visit www.ccict.ca.

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Information:

David Ticoll
Executive Director, CCICT
(416) 840-6296

Janet Sandor
ICT Week Project Manager
(416) 802-5526

Join CCICT’s team within a vibrant community of change-makers at the Centre for Social Innovation. We are creating an online network that will persuade high school students who have not previously considered ICT-related careers to do so, with career stories, videos, news, education pathways, advice and more.

The challenge: Excite more young people into leading edge technology careers and inspire more young women about the creative potential of technology leadership.

The opportunities:

• Network Community Developer – Do you love to connect people and share stories, both in person and online? CCICT is searching for an enthusiastic and motivated Network Community Developer who will use online and traditional marketing mediums to support our initiatives by building a strong community to attract and retain participation of career choosers, role models, mentors, employers, education and content developers.
• Content Producer – Use your passion for telling stories, your creativity and your digital media skills to develop compelling narratives that change attitudes towards ICT careers.
• Network reporting & content producer – Use your social media expertise, strong analytical skills and your creative writing style to support the development and reporting of CCICT’s career network.

Deadlines vary; please consult postings for details. We appreciate the interest of all applicants however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

The traditional image of the tech geek is fading as organizations increasingly need people with both technology and business savvy. And Canadian business schools are beginning to offer new programs that marry the two skills.

The new BTM undergraduate degree was designed by the Canadian Coalition for Tomorrow’s ICT Skills (CCICT) with the aim of improving the quality and number of business professionals in the understaffed ICT-related workforce.

Read about CCICT and the Business Technology Management program in the Globe & Mail.

Improving Canada’s Digital Advantage: Strategies for Sustainable Prosperity
Consultation Paper on a Digital Economy Strategy for Canada

Theme focus: Building Digital Skills

In the March 3, 2010 Speech from the Throne, the Government of Canada committed to “launch a digital economy strategy to drive the adoption of new technology across the economy”. On May 10, 2010,  the government released Improving Canada’s Digital Advantage: Strategies for Sustainable Prosperity, a consultation paper seeking advice that will shape a multi-year digital economy strategy for Canada. Between May 10 and July 13, more than 2000 Canadian individuals and organizations registered to share their ideas and submissions.

Improving Canada’s Digital Advantage provides an excellent foundation for addressing the needs of today’s digital economy, arguing that improving productivity and innovation performance requires more and better investments in ICTs. The skills and talents of ICT professionals are essential to this effort, across the economy.

CCICT submitted a response, Canada: The Go-to Country for Brainpower Resources in the Global Digital Economy with many recommendations, including:

1. Leaders in government and across all sectors should articulate, explain and champion the vision. The Federal Government should mandate a cabinet champion to lead these initiatives, with the support of the Prime Minister. She or he should form and lead an action-oriented Digital Economy Brainpower Council of stakeholders and thought leaders to finalize a strategy and plan, funding, and set of targets. Implementation should begin in 2011.
2. Canada should aim to double female enrollments in high value ICT-related post-secondary enrollments by 2017. The Federal Government should partner with provinces to mobilize resources and campaign for this as a “moon shot” marquee priority. This includes new programs, student seats, and promotional campaigns to career choosers in Canada and abroad.
3. Government should partner with the private sector to create and sustain a skills data mart that provides up-to-date aggregated data on supply and demand of increasingly specialized and often changing ICT-related professional skill sets. The marketplace, a driver of labour market innovation and agility, will be a competitive differentiator for Canada’s digital economy strategy.
4. Canadian governments should collaborate to increase investments in education. They should expand seats in next generation ICT-related post-secondary programs at least 20% by 2017. The cabinet champion, with the support of the Prime Minister, must create a sense of urgency and allocate funds to prime the pump at a national level.
5. Make the full range of digital literacy skills a priority in primary, secondary, post-secondary, mid-career and lifelong learning education. The Digital Economy Brainpower Council should lead in working with provinces to define learning outcomes, standards, and methodologies for digital literacy, business skills, foundational workplace skills, mid-career education, and practical experience.
6. Governments, educators and the private sector should promote career chooser awareness about exciting next generation ICT-related careers; provide financial assistance, mentoring and other supports; offer incentives to students and educational institutions; and foster partnerships to lead change. To support these, the Federal Government should launch a Canada Brainpower Fund under the stewardship of the Digital Economy Brainpower Council.

Read CCICT’s full report (pdf): Canada: The Go-to Country for Brainpower Resources in the Global Digital Economy

You can read the contributions and the comments on the Digital Economy Strategy for Canada from other individuals and organizations in the Submissions Area and the Idea Forum of digitaleconomy.gc.ca.

From December 2008 to February 2009, Conference Board researchers visited 21 secondary schools and 46 classes across Canada to learn about students’ views and interests in ICT careers, as part of the Connecting Students to Tomorrow’s ICT Careers research project. Researchers talked with 1,034 Grade 9 and 10 students, in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver about their perceptions and attitudes towards ICT learning and ICT career pathways. In addition, 60 parents and 54 guidance/career counsellors offered their perspectives on ICT education and careers.

Read the full report (pdf)

TORONTO, June 9, 2009 – Canada’s Generation Y high school students believe that jobs in the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) sector pay well, are easy to find and offer good job security. But according to a recent study of Grade 9 & 10 high school students conducted by the Conference Board of Canada, funded by Bell, for the Canadian Coalition for Tomorrow’s ICT Skills (CCICT), these factors have no bearing on whether or not they are attracted to an ICT career. The study provides new information about why Canadian students have been turning away from computer-related programs in colleges and universities with 33-40% or more rates of declining enrollments since 2001.

The report, entitled “Connecting Students to Tomorrow’s Jobs and Careers”, reveals that students who perceive that the field is interesting, fun, cool and creative are more likely to want to pursue a career in the field. Even though conventional wisdom says students fear IT job instability due to outsourcing, offshoring and memories of the dot com crash, this study reveals that to tackle its talent issue, the real problem is that high school students are neutral or they don’t know the career possibilities in ICT. “This survey provides information to develop strategies to encourage young people to pursue careers in ICT,” says Stéphane Boisvert, CCICT Chairman and President of Bell Business Markets. “CCICT is already working with its members to improve the pathways to these 21st century careers and to ensure a clear message reaches both students and the people who influence them – parents, teachers, and guidance counsellors.”

Canada’s employers in the ICT sector already have difficulty filling positions and the impending retirement of many current employees threatens to make the situation worse. This is why CCICT was created in 2007, bringing together stakeholders with an interest in developing Canada’s ICT capabilities. “The report’s findings bode well for turning the tide, since today’s high growth ICT careers meet the “cool factor” criteria of Generation Y,” said David Ticoll, Executive Director of CCICT. “For example, some exciting careers are those of specialized technologists – both ICT-
focused and multidisciplinary – who operate at the leading edge of innovation in every field, be it ICT product innovation, social media, health care and medical research, green infrastructure, automotive design, the arts, etc. Possibilities are endless!”

Based on the report, the CCICT believes that it is essential to ensure that those students who express interest in ICT jobs are guided towards relevant and appropriate education and career paths so that the skills mismatch challenge can be addressed. The ICT sector and other stakeholders should recognize the diversity of student motivations and design ICT attraction, education, and recruitment programs that offer a corresponding diversity of opportunities and strategies.

Other key facts from the report include:

•   39% of the students surveyed see an ICT job or career as appealing or very appealing, 19% as unappealing while the remainder (nearly half) were neutral or not sure;
•   Similarly, 30% see an ICT job or career as interesting, 27% as not interesting, while the
remaining 43% were neutral or not sure;
•   77% believe ICT jobs offer average or better than average pay;
•   74% believe ICT jobs offer average or better than average job security;
•   Girls (32%) are less likely than boys (41%) to see an ICT job or career as appealing; and
•   Among the cities surveyed (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax) the greatest interest in ICT was in Montreal where 54% see ICT as appealing) followed by Vancouver at 44%.

Parents are the most common source of advice for students on careers – 83% versus 63% for friends, 50% for teachers and only 43% for guidance counsellors. Yet in a small survey of 30 parents, the research found that they may be less optimistic about ICT jobs/careers than their kids. Only 19% of students see ICT as unappealing versus 33% of parents.
The research, conducted from November 2008 to February 2009, set out to uncover secondary school students‘ views about ICT jobs and careers. The research sheds light on students’ perceptions of careers in this sector. To understand the reasons for low and declining enrolment, the Conference Board of Canada spoke with 1,034 Grade 9 and 10 students in 21 schools and 46 classes Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax. In addition, 60 parents and 54 guidance / career counsellors offered their perspectives on ICT education and careers.

About CCICT

Founded in 2007 by Bell Canada, CCICT is an industry-led, action-oriented, open multi-stakeholder initiative. Its mission is to ensure that Canadian organizations can engage information and communications technology professionals with knowledge, skills and talents to meet the evolving and diverse needs of this exciting field. Members include companies, academic institutions, professional associations, industry organizations, and other stakeholders with an interest in developing Canada’s ICT capabilities. For more information please visit www.ccict.ca.

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Source: Canadian Coalition for Tomorrow’s ICT Skills

Contact:

Sherry Boisvert
Apex PR
T. (416) 924-4442 ext. 260
C. (647) 830-8136
sboisvert@apexpr.com

Marie-Claude Leroux
Morin Public Relations
T. (514) 289-8688 ext. 224
C. (514) 705-5897
marieclaude@morinrp.com