“Fifty-year-olds are still perceived as being past their used-by- date in the workforce,” says AIIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Sheryle Moon.

“At the same time, the latest census data reveals that 11 per cent of Australia’s population is between 55 and 64.  It is these people that the ICT industry needs to do more to attract, retain and retrain.”

Ms Moon points to a survey released last week by career management firm, Linkme.com.au, which found almost three-quarters of Australians believe that finding new employment – across all industries - after 50 is almost impossible.

“People are telling me that they feel ‘on the scrapheap’ once they hit 45, and yet these are the very people who have a lifetime of skills and experience to harness,” Ms Moon says.

The 2006 Australian Computer Society’s Employment Survey, released in September 2006, reinforces the latest survey results, which found that one in five respondents felt they had been discriminated against on the basis of their age. There was a clear divide between those aged 45 or over and those under 45 – mature workers were much more likely to have encountered age discrimination.

“Alarmingly, 34.1 per cent of 46-50 year olds had experienced some discrimination because of their age – this figure rises to 76.9 per cent of 61-65 year olds.  One woman I spoke to recently said she was advised by a recruitment company to change her resume to say ‘more than 10 years’ experience’ instead of ‘more than 20’ and to remove the dates from her degrees – all to reduce the perception that ‘older’ means ‘out-of-date’,” Ms Moon says.

In the ICT industry, where work is increasingly based on knowledge-creation, the focus needs to be on the workplace as a key arena for encouraging ‘lifelong learning’ as part of work.

Retaining and retraining older workers will save recruiting costs, maintain institutional memory and technical knowledge and give a higher return on investment in training.

However, it’s not just the responsibility of employers, says Ms Moon. 

“Employees need to recognise that they work in a fast-paced industry where training is paramount.  Continuing employment or re-entering the workforce may require a commitment to retrain and some attitudinal shifts too.”

“The most important factor in a mature person’s employment prospects is: are they adaptable?  Those most at risk of redundancy and underemployment have had fewest opportunities to acquire new skills and develop a positive attitude to learning.

“Australia’s economic growth – and our industry’s prosperity - is partly dependent on mature-age workers remaining in the workforce for as long as possible, so it’s time to discard negative perceptions of baby boomers and support them in their working lives as much as Gen-X and Yers,” Ms Moon concludes.

Join the Who’s Who of the Australian ICT industry in Canberra on Wednesday 15 August.

Meet and mingle with the ICT industry’s leading lights and up-and-coming stars, politicians and policy makers at AIIA’s annual Board of Directors dinner.

Speaking at the ICT Factor 07 conference in Queensland last Wednesday, AIIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Sheryle Moon predicted that Second Life would transform business for small-to-medium enterprises in Australia.

“In the future, every business will be an e-business, and software agents and avatars will play an important role. Agents will help us navigate commerce, find information, negotiate deals and even keep us company.

“So you think this is far fetched?  IBM is already ramping up its push into virtual worlds with an investment of roughly US$30 million including an expanded presence within Second Life and the development of its own 3D intranet.

“Chairman and Chief Executive Sam Palmisano used a Second Life avatar last year to speak with the more than 250 in-world IBM employees on one of the company’s private islands. This month they are inducting new staff using Second Life as the forum.  One of these islands is named after and mimics its Almaden Research Center near San Jose, California.

Emerging marketing technologies and trends such as blogs, RSS, Web 2.0, virtual worlds: what are they and how can marketers leverage them?

Join your peers in ICT marketing on Wednesday 25 July to learn from and be inspired by thought leaders in our industry as they uncover and discuss digital marketing trends for 2008.

• Make a difference
• Dynamic industry
• Committed team

Are you looking for a more rewarding role? Ready to move into a role where you really make a difference to the people you interact with?

The team at AIIA is looking for a smart, technology savvy, team player with a 'can do' attitude.

Working with the Victorian team, you will be responsible for the smooth running of the local committee, including taking and circulating minutes, following up on action points and working with a team of extremely committed senior level and executive volunteers. You will also assist with the implementation of Victorian Government grants.

AIIA's Chief Executive Officer, Sheryle Moon, will be the guest speaker at the IT Gold Coast Breakfast on Tuesday 24 July.  The event starts at 6.45am at the Bistro Restaurant at the Ashmore Gold Coast Tafe.  Find out more and register online.

AIIA is continuing to monitor the progress of various free trade agreements (FTAs) under negotiation with China, Japan, ASEAN, Malaysia, Chile and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

For ICT companies, the outcomes on intellectual property, government procurement and some e-commerce issues, such as privacy, can make a significant difference to market access in those territories. For example, the level of copyright protection afforded to software, the extent to which governments agree to use only legitimate software and the applicable technical standards can all affect your business.

If you have done business in any of these territories, we are keen to hear your experiences and concerns - this will help inform DFAT's negotiations and ensure that the Australian ICT industry's interests can benefit from this important process. Further details on the status of each of these FTAs are online.  Please direct any comments to Bridget Larsen.

Australian Government agencies are required to complete their annual procurement plans (APPs) by July each year. In the last few weeks, most FMA and CAC agencies have updated their APPs and these are now available from Austender.

These provide a rich source of information for suppliers on ICT opportunities for the forthcoming 12 months. AIIA member company, Intermedium, has already analysed the plans in detail and on 7 August, will provide suppliers with insights into technological and procurement trends, likely 'hot spots' for the year and information that will help you ensure that sales efforts are directed to real opportunities. AIIA and Intermedium are pleased to be able to offer AIIA members a discounted rate. Find out more.  To register, contact Fleur Bayley on (02) 9817 5757.

On Tuesday 31 July, Telstra's CEO, Sol Trujillo, will share his thoughts about how life is changing in the Web 2.0 world.