Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Education Key to NSW Digital Economy

The NSW Government invited input for a "NSW Digital Economy Industry Action Plan" in October 2011. The Sydney Morning Herald reports criticism of the draft plan (which has not been released) and the makeup of the industry committee ("Heavy fog on information superhighway as action plan scorned as 'fluff", Asher Moses, 12 June 2012).

There is an "NSW Digital Economy Industry Action Plan Issues Paper" available (October 2011). The proposed vision in the paper is:
By 2020, NSW is recognised globally for leading innovation and driving productivity gains in key sectors of the economy, enabled by strong, vibrant and connected ICT and Creative Industries.
Such vision statements are by their nature vague. The interesting part here is the suggested connection between ICT and creative industries. That is between the engineering, science and business part of ICT and the use of ICT in arts, film production, TV, video games and the like.

While the issues paper mentions education in support of the ICT industry, it fails to give sufficient emphasis to the role of ICT in support of the education industry. After mining, education is Australia's largest export industry. ICT is playing an increasing role in the delivery of education and will be key to students and their parents, deciding what country to have educate their children. If NSW wants its second largest export industry to prosper, then it needs to ensure that there is an ICT industry to support NSW educational institutions.

The report notes the decline in undergraduate ICT student enrollments and increases in postgraduate enrollments, but suggests no change in government policy in response.

Curiously there is no mention of the Australian Technology Park and the lessons which may be learned from that NSW Government venture.

Some education related excerpts from the issues paper:
Suggested areas of focus ...

Skills and Research: contribute to the development of a skilled, highly technologically competent workforce with internationally recognised centres of industry partnered education, research, technology development and entrepreneurship; increase collaboration between universities and other training institutions and industry to ensure that training is focussed on meeting the needs of industry. ...

3 Industry Profile

While the enabling industries of ICT and Creative are strong stand-alone industries in NSW, they are also critical in improving productivity and increasing competitiveness of other industries including Finance, Health, Education, and Energy. ...

Education and Research
The presence in Sydney of the National Information and Communications Technology Research Centre of Excellence as well as five national centres of excellence and two cooperative research centres in ICT–related research fields, forms an essential element of the diversity of the ICT sector. Private R&D also flourishes in NSW, with foreign multi–nationals locating their research facilities here.

Our higher education system and strong vocational training institutions have supported the development of a highly skilled ICT workforce. In 2008, for example, there were over 13,000 students studying Information Technology at the 11 universities in NSW, and a further 14,400 students were studying information technology at NSW TAFE Colleges and through other vocational education and training providers in 2009. ...

Innovative Applications
Considerable potential exists to accelerate the development of innovative applications centred on greater ’connectivity’. Modelling work in Access Economics’ 2020 Foresighting Study shows that the transport, utilities, property and health care sectors in NSW will receive a very high productivity benefit from the NBN. Other sectors such as education, accommodation, finance and retail will also receive a high benefit. Through its capacity to develop and/or deploy technologies and to provide services, the State’s Digital industry is well placed to help businesses in these other sectors as well as households make the most from the NBN. ...

Skills Shortages

... Since 2004, enrolments in higher education ICT courses have declined by 6 per cent per year. Computer science courses have the highest proportion of ICT enrolments, although this has declined over time. Over the same period, enrolments in other courses have increased by 4 per cent per year. Conversely, enrolments in postgraduate ICT courses increased significantly. ...

1. Collaborative Solutions Program

... The program adopts a contemporary approach to industry development through catalysing collaboration. This model has demonstrated successful outcomes in other ICT leading nations in delivering innovative world-class solutions in sectors such as Tourism, Finance, Education, Healthcare, and Media and Entertainment. This initiative is a proactive approach to developing our ICT industry to deliver world-class solutions and economic growth in our strategic sectors. ...

3. Interactive Media Fund

... increasing involvement in serious games in collaboration with sectors such as e-health, education, defence, emergency management. ...

4. Australian Centre for Broadband Innovation

... E-Government - working with Government to develop ICT platforms and deliver access to better education, health, and utility services. ...

From: "NSW Digital Economy Industry Action Plan Issues Paper", NSW Government, October 2011.

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