ICTC 2013 Presentation

1. Canada’s Future
Reinvigorating the Canadian educational system
impacts economic, social, environmental and
financial aspirations of Canadians
Multi-literate, creative and innovative
people are the drivers of the 21st Century
Source: C21 Canada. “C21 Presents: Shifting Minds. A 21st century vision of public education for Canada.” May 2012.

2. The Situation
 By 2016, Canada will need more
than 106,000 ICT workers
 Systemic shortage of soft skills
 Mismatch between capabilities
 Youth are not choosing ICT as a
career
 Not seen as fun, viable or profitable
 Unaware of the opportunities
available in ICT
 Canadian graduates lack the
right blend of skills to compete in
the digital economy
 21st Century Skills

3. What is ICT?
Source: http://www.tutor2u.net/business/ict/intro_what_is_ict.htm
 A constantly evolving term:
 “All the uses of digital technology that
already exist to help individuals,
businesses and organisations use
information.”
 “ICT covers any product that will
store, retrieve, manipulate,
transmit or receive information
electronically in a digital form.”
 Information Communications Technology

4. 21st Century Skills
What are They:
 Solve real problems
 Engage with knowledge that matters
 Be respected
 See how subjects are interconnected
 Learn from and with each other and people in
their community
 Connect with experts and expertise
 Have more opportunities for dialogue and
conversation
How to Learn Them:
 Applied, project-based and interdisciplinary
learning
 Collaborative learning
 Inquiry and investigation
 Technology for learning
 Demonstration of competence
 Personalized learning
 Information access, analysis, synthesis and
the generation of new ideas

5. Changing ICT Needs
Declining Needs:
 General Application Skills
 ICT Technical Capabilities
Growing Needs:
 ICT, Soft-skills & 21st Century Skills
 Hybrid ICT & Technical Skills

6. Why IT?
Top Ten in-demand ICT Jobs in British Columbia:
1. Software Engineers
2. Electrical and Electronics Engineers
3. Computer Network Technicians
4. Web Designers and Developers
5. Information Systems Business Analysts
6. Computer Programmers
7. Graphic Designers and Illustrator
8. e-Commerce Managers
9. Computer and Information System Managers
10. User Support Technicians

7. ICT Job Outlook

8. British Columbia Trends
“Education and technology are two of the greatest
social equalizers. Education helps people improve
their economic opportunities, while technology
provides access to education.”*
*Source: Cisco

9. Technology Trends
 118,600 workers employed in BC’s digital economy
 BC is Canada’s third largest digital economy
employer in Canada, with12% of all workers
 BC’s ICT field is growing:
 ICT sector output of $6.96 billion in 2012 Q3
was $71 million higher than it was in 2011 Q3,
signifying a growth of 1%
 BC is one of the major digital economy hubs in Canada
 British Columbia contributed 11% of the total
Canadian ICT output in 2012 Q3
 Companies are putting an increasing premium on
reaching clients to provide them with innovative and
customized solutions
Source: ICTC.
 Skills in-demand by employers:
 Content management system (CMS)
 Customer relationship management (CRM)
 Database management
 Quality assurance
 SharePoint

10. Educational Trends
10 Year Employment Outlook: 2007 - 2017
Source: Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development. “British Columbia’s Labour Market Future,” November 2009.

11. Educational Pitfalls
 BC has 64,492 high school grads this
year and only 44,467 children starting
kindergarten
Source: ICTC.
 Approximately 40% of students enrolled
in colleges have a university degree
 Ever widening gap between university
and college grads
 Theoretical skills vs. practical
application
 University grads understand
theory but not practice
 Majority of post-secondary grads don’t
have any experience working in an
office or professional environment

12. Hiring New Grads
Source: ICTC.
 BC employers are flooded with new grad applicants from Ontario
 Difficult for SMEs to hire students as they lack the time & resources to
train & mentor
 Ramp-up time for any new hire: 3-6 months minimum
 Ramp-up time for a new grad: 6-9 months depending on work
experience/background
 Preference towards hiring new grads with co-op experience
 Vancouver employers tend to not recruit new grads due to the difficulty
understanding competency and where they could have impact

13. BC Job Demand
BC Job Demand
Outlook in 14 Core ICT Occupations (across all industries)
Source: ICTC

14. Finding Your IT
Network & Operations Support Concentration
Interactive Media Concentration
Business & Information Analysis Concentration
Software Design & Development Concentration
General Technical Competencies
General Business Competencies

15. IT Students
 Aware of impacts of technology
 Understand the role of ICT in industry
 Explore ICT career opportunities
 Apply ICT skills to develop solutions

16. Innovative & Realistic
 Learn by seeing, thinking, & doing
 Practise IT skills to make them
better prepared for 21st century
 Experience through internships or
co-ops

17. The IT Advantage
IT Graduates:
 Potential advanced standing for
future studies
 Better prepared to write major ICT
certification exams
 Valuable career-ready skills
 Recognized by employers across
Canada