AIIA Bulletin
Leading the ICT business community
10 July 2006
In this issue:
How ICT can capture the imaginations of young people
Industry leadership will build ICT skills, says AIIA
CSIRO ICT Centre extends major sponsorship agreement for AIIA iAwards
AIIA encourages ICT entrepreneurship
AIIA Queensland recognises local industry talent
AIIA and government work together to simplify SourceIT
AIIA says Victorian Government’s new ICT policies a positive step forward
AIIA links members to customers
AIIA marketing workshop helps companies find their USPs
ACS launches CP PROGRAM for greater status and recognition
Can the iAwards reely impruve our kidz speling?
New Members
Join the College of Experts
AIIA Bulletin – what do you think? Have your say… and go to the movies in style!
Take the panic out of choosing an overseas partner
Export Events
AIIA Events


How ICT can capture the imaginations of young people

Rob Durie

AIIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Rob Durie, explores how the ICT industry can capture the imaginations of young people to ensure it has the necessary skills for the future.

There has been a lot of talk in recent months about whether or not there is an ICT skills crisis. I confess I am not very comfortable with the terms ‘skills shortage’ and ‘skills crisis’. I do not find the debate constructive. It also gives me a strong feeling of déjà vu. These words can be useful to initiate urgent action. But the lesson of the past is they do not serve us well in setting up structures and programs to move the skills issue forward.
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Industry leadership will build ICT skills, says AIIA

AIIA will work with the Australian Computer Society (ACS) to lead and
co-ordinate efforts to address ICT skills issues in response to the ICT Skills Foresighting Working Group’s report, Building Australian ICT Skills, released on 21 June.
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CSIRO ICT Centre extends major sponsorship agreement for AIIA iAwards

CSIROAIIA is pleased to announce that the CSIRO ICT Centre has extended its partnership with AIIA as major sponsor of the Association’s prestigious iAwards program.
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AIIA encourages ICT entrepreneurship

Traditionally, entrepreneurship is synonymous with risk-taking in the face of uncertainty. Entrepreneurs are seen as people willing to put their careers and financial security on the line to take risks in the name of an idea or innovation. Read more

 
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AIIA Queensland recognises local industry talent

AIIA’s Queensland branch hosted a luncheon on Friday 23 June to congratulate each of the eight iAwards winners and finalists from this year’s iAwards, held on 7 April in Sydney. Read more

 
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AIIA and government work together to simplify SourceIT

AIIA has welcomed further commitment from the Australian Government to work with industry to improve the new range of simplified model contracts for frequent low risk transactions between ICT companies and the federal government.Read more

 
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AIIA says Victorian Government’s new ICT policies a positive step forward

The new Victorian Government ICT policies came into effect on 3 July, with improvements to the contractual framework viewed positively by AIIA. Read more

 
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AIIA links members to customers

AIIA is always looking for new ways to get our members in front of new customers.

Our newest product will link AIIA members to customers needing ICT solutions.
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AIIA marketing workshop helps companies find their USPs

What do you do if you can’t find your company’s unique selling points?

This was one of the many great questions answered at “Think, Build… and Deliver”, the first in AIIA's series of ICT marketing workshops held in Melbourne on Tuesday 4 July.
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ACS launches CP PROGRAM for greater status and recognition

ACSAs the ICT industry grows and matures, the Australian Computer Society (ACS) is moving to enhance the status of its professional members with the Computer Professional (CP) Program. Read more

 
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Can the iAwards reely impruve our kidz speling?

EdAliveIt sure can! Just ask EdAlive – winners of the Education and Training category at this year’s iAwards.

EdAlive were awarded a prestigious iAward for their Words Rock! literacy education program. Words Rock! is a compelling computer board game for ages 5-15+ that exposes children to a broad range of literacy concepts, from simple spelling and punctuation to sophisticated grammatical sentence structures. The program contains more than 3,200 questions in 16 substantial levels and is correlated with each Australian state's language arts curriculum and the National Literacy Benchmarks.

The program engages young learners through quirky, fun characters and an interactive board game that brings literacy to life. Each player is one of a bunch of street-smart Freak Seekers on the trail of slippery Super Slugs in this bounty-hunting free-for-all.

Based in Armidale, EdAlive is a small Australian educational software company with a range of teaching titles created in-house by a team of parents, teachers and IT professionals. EdAlive's software is designed to be high quality and accessible to all families.

As one of the ICT industry’s SME success stories, EdAlive is further proof that Australian innovation comes in all sizes.

Graham East, managing director of EdAlive, had this to say about their win at the Star City Casino on 7 April, “The iAwards are a respected institution in the IT industry, with many big names competing. Although Words Rock!, as a children's educational tool, seemed quite different from the majority of entries, it was obviously able to compare favourably in a field of excellence.”

Each year, the iAwards recognise the entrepreneurial spirit of the Australian ICT industry and its influence across countless industries and markets and in doing, so provide international recognition for Australia’s world-class ICT innovations.

Being nominated for an iAward enables Australian companies to benchmark their ICT solutions and partnerships against the best Australia has to offer… before embarking, in many instances, to compete on the world stage.

2006 iAwards winners have been invited to represent Australia at the
Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA) which will be held in Macau in November 2006.

The 2007 iAwards will be held in Sydney on Wednesday 30 May 2007. For more information on the iAwards, visit AIIA’s website. Record nominations were received for the 2006 iAwards. Nominations for the 2007 iAwards will open on Monday 20 October, 2006.

 
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New Members

GreyHair Alchemy Pty Ltd
Sims E-Recycling
Challenger Momentum
Neo Technology Ventures
Compunetix, Inc.
Channel Dynamics
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Join the College of Experts

The Australian Research Council (ARC) is calling for nominations for appointments to its College of Experts in 2007. Read more

 
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AIIA Bulletin – what do you think? Have your say… and go to the movies in style!

At AIIA we are constantly seeking to improve the quality and level of services that we provide to you, our members. Over recent weeks we have been reviewing the Bulletin and giving consideration to everything from content and frequency to format. Read more

 
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Take the panic out of choosing an overseas partner

AustradeSelecting a local partner in your chosen overseas market is an important step for an Australian exporter. Forming the right alliances can give you access to advice, experience, local knowledge, customer contacts and resources far beyond the reach of your own company. However, it is important to know what to look for in a partner, understand the regional factors that can impact your decision and take the right approach to making and maintaining these strategic relationships. Read more

 
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Export Events

13 - 15 July: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Pikom PS3
21 July: Canberra - Protecting your IP in China
2 - 6 August: Bangkok - International ICT Expo 2006
13 - 17 September: Colombo, Sri Lanka, INFOTEL Lanka 2006
15 - 17 November: Tokyo - ASOCIO ICT Summit Tokyo 2006
12 - 18 November: Silicon Valley, USA - Innovation Trip
Team Australia at AUSA Trade Exhibition 2006
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AIIA Events

11 July: Canberra – Federal Government ‘SourceIT’ Standard Contracts Explained
12 July: Adelaide - The Fermentation Partnership – Grapes and ICT
12 July: Canberra - AIIA’s Canberra Managers' Forum – DIMA
19 July: Sydney - AIIA Marketing Forum
20 July: Melbourne - VIC CIO Forum
21 July: Brisbane - AIIA Luncheon with John Smith, CEO, BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance
2 August: Melbourne - AIIA Marketing Workshop Series
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Visit aiia.com.au!

AIIA's events calendar can be viewed on the AIIA website.
To register for events, view past presentations or read the latest news from the ICT industry, visit aiia.com.au.

 
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