Skills for Internet Age

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CRITICAL SKILLS FOR THE INTERNET AGE
by Avonelle Christian James

The global Internet economy has created a dramatic shift in the demand for information technology skills in almost every industry. This shift has resulted in a transformation in the way that today's progressive companies operate their businesses. Web-based software, e-mail, the Internet - specialized technology implemented in hospitals, stores, on factory floors, all contribute to the growing demand for information technology workers. In this new economy, the latest wave of office workers are writing the smallest of memos onscreen, and allowing spreadsheets to calculate their expense accounts online. No longer are they obligated to resort to doing their work with pencil, pen and paper.

There is strong evidence of a growing trend towards the use of the Internet to conduct business. In the travel industry, for example, there has been an explosion of airline, hotel, and car rental reservations online. The use of a traditional travel agent has become antiquated to many Internet users. The auto industry has revolutionized the way that business is conducted. Consumers can now complete an auto purchasing transaction via the web, including obtaining financing and insurance quotes, and even purchasing insurance. The financial industry has experienced some of the most explosive growth in terms of transactions conducted on the web.

There has been an emergence of online banking services, payment processing, money transfer, and loan processing, among others. Additionally, online stock brokering and financial servicing companies have flourished in the initial stages of this Internet revolution. Subsequently, e-commerce has exploded in the last few years. The Center for Research in Electronic Commerce at the University of Texas has estimated that for 2001, there will be $241 billion of revenue generated from e-commerce.

The Internet revolution has created a spiraling number of technology-related jobs, the rewards of which are being enjoyed in countries such as India, Jordan, the UK, and the United States. India, for example, is using its powerful base of information technology workers to boost its trade. With a vast army of programmers and consultants, India has managed to grow software exports significantly since 1995/1996, when exports totaled $734 million. Today, India's software association scaled down export growth target estimates to between 40 and 45 percent and forecasts exports to reach $8.5-9 billion in the year to March 2002, compared with the previous year. India is clearly leading the boom in the production of talented IT workers, well equipped to handle the challenges and reap the rewards of the Internet age. Even with the technology slowdown in the US, offshore firms in India are seizing the opportunity from U.S. clients who are looking to trim costs by outsourcing major portions of their work.

The potential for the development of the information technology sector in Caribbean islands such as Dominica is strikingly compelling. There is great opportunity in providing technological products and services in the areas of tourism, data processing and financial services (banking and insurance), as well as some prospects in health care and even consultancy services. Within each of these sectors lies a strong demand for skilled workers, the likes of which are now available in countries such as India. Studies have shown that literacy rates in Caribbean countries are high, raging from 95% of adults in Dominica to 99% in Barbados. These figures, together with good telecommunications services and relatively low labour costs, suggest that countries such as Dominica should have a comparative advantage in the development of internet-related products and services. Some countries - Barbados, Jamaica and Saint Lucia - have already embarked on the development of such services. This process has been assisted by investment incentives, which have attracted foreign investors. Close proximity to the large United States market is an added advantage for the countries of that region.

Where IT Jobs Will Be

In a recent study conducted by Richard Judy of the Hudson Institute, it was projected that 60 percent of future jobs will require training that only 20 percent of present US workers possess. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has also concluded that the fastest-growing occupations through 2008 will be in the technology and information management fields. Employers in the US are scrambling to train their work force to meet the growing demands and short supply of workers such as electrical engineering and computer scientists. Due to a shortage of IT workers, congress most recently was forced to raise the ceiling on the number of IT workers allowed to enter the US on H1-B visas.

To add to the shortage of workers, Math and Science education has been falling behind in the US. It is common knowledge that the education system in developing countries such as Dominica is generally much more rigorous at the primary and secondary levels than that of the US. Furthermore, the most recent studies at the US Department of Education has shown that more than half of students in other countries perform better in Math and Science than US students. What this implies is that at the early stages of education, we are already ahead of many of the students from developed nations such as the US. With a continued emphasis on information technology education, Dominica can become a dominant force in providing IT workers for the Internet age.

Table 1 below, extracted from research conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows that most of the fastest growing occupations in the US fall either in the information technology area, or require advanced education in Math, Science or Engineering. Although these studies clearly apply to the US market, one can safely deduce that such statistics will benefit developing countries, due to the vast amount of technology development, which is usually out-sourced to countries such as India, Korea and China, mainly as a result of a lack of adequate staffing in the US. Furthermore, a clear trend has been established in developing economies such as Dominica, where the need for Internet technology infrastructure has already been established. It is imperative that Caribbean islands closely follow and even become leaders in the Internet revolution, in order to leverage the economic advantages, which these technologies are generating.

Current Skills Assessment

Limited research has shown that there is already an emerging pool of internet-trained workers in Dominica, and a strong number of information technology workers on other islands of the Caribbean. Dominica has demonstrated a sound skill set in several areas related to Internet technology, although companies looking to conduct or expand their businesses on the island would require further growth in the number of skilled IT workers available on the island. A recent advertisement placed by the Internet startup Caribbean Supplies Inc., and appearing in the local Dominican newspapers, generated a number of skilled applicants for each position, indicating a possible trend towards IT skills on the island. Below is a sampling of the types of skills currently available on the island:-

Web Associate Editors
Write, edit, proofread, and copyedit a variety of documents. Plan and prepare stories for online dissemination. Prepare page layouts to position and space articles and illustrations. Require a degree in a related area and 0-2 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Have knowledge of commonly used concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field.
Web Photo Editors
Conceive and design the most effective method to illustrate stories and/or features. Coordinate the photographic and end-of-production process. May require a degree in a related area and 2-4 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Familiar with standard concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field.
Web Copy Editors
Coordinate with writers, producers, and other contributors to the web site to ensure consistency in style, tone, and quality of the organization's site. Require a degree in a related area and 0-2 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Have knowledge of commonly used concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. Rely on instructions and pre-established guidelines to perform the functions of the job. Works under immediate supervision.
Business Development Managers
Identify, negotiate and manage strategic relationships with content and technological partners. Manage the marketing, sales and product development teams to implement business development initiatives. Requires a bachelor's degree in business, finance or marketing with 4 years of experience in the field or a related area. Familiar with a variety of the field's concepts, practices, and procedures. Relies on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals.
Web Community Specialists
Implement community related content for the organization. May require a bachelor's degree with 0-2 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Have knowledge of commonly used concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. Rely on instructions and pre-established guidelines to perform the functions of the job.
Web Community Leaders
Direct and implement community related content for the organization. May require a bachelor's degree with at least 3 years of experience in the field. Generally manage a group of union and non-union employees. Rely on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals.
Web Designers
Produce graphic sketches, designs, and copy layouts for online content. Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, select style and size of type, and arrange layout based upon available space, knowledge of layout principles, and aesthetic design concepts. May require an associate's degree or its equivalent and 2 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Have knowledge of commonly used concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. Rely on instructions and pre-established guidelines to perform the functions of the job.
Technical Support Analysts
Review, analyze, and evaluate information technology systems operations. May require an associate's degree in a related area and 0-2 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Has knowledge of commonly used concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. Rely on instructions and pre-established guidelines to perform the functions of the job.
Webmasters
Develop and maintain company websites. Perform backups and ensure user accessibility to the site. Monitor site traffic and help scale site capacity to meet traffic demands performance. Improve the company's efficiency and design the look and feel for the site. May require a degree and 2-4 years of experience. Must have a working knowledge of HTML, JavaScript, and SQL. Rely on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Perform a variety of tasks.
Content Specialists
Assist in the development and implementation of web sites to other web sites. Require a degree with 0-2 years of experience. May be expected to have knowledge of HTML, DHTML and JavaScript programming language. Rely on instructions and pre-established guidelines to perform the functions of the job.
Web Surfers
Visit multiple websites to gather information. Require a high school diploma with 0-2 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Have knowledge of commonly used concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field.
Web Designers
Design and construct web pages/sites including incorporating graphic user interface (GUI) features and other techniques. Maintain and provide ongoing design of the website, promos and ad banners, seasonal content specials and custom chat launcher design for partners. Familiar with a variety of the field's concepts, practices, and procedures. Rely on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Perform a variety of complicated tasks. May lead and direct the work of others.
Web Writers
Research and write online content for a company's web site. Requires a bachelor's degree in a related area and at least 4 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Familiar with a variety of the field's concepts, practices, and procedures. Rely on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Perform a variety of complicated tasks. May direct and lead the work of others.
Customer Service Representatives
Respond to customer inquires regarding orders, billing inquiries and technical problem notifications. Document customer trouble reports in trouble ticketing system and escalate according to established standard operating procedures. Also review requests, contact customers to clarify request, ensuring all necessary information is included and may route requests to the appropriate department. May require a degree with at least 1 year of experience in technical support. Must be familiar with client server platforms support and various system applications.

Preparing our Future Workforce

While it is commonly perceived that the information revolution has passed many U.S. schools behind, it is even more important that the education system in developing countries be at the forefront of the internet revolution. In this new economy, education will be the driving force behind an emergence of revived economic strength in developing countries such as Dominica. It is not adequate to expect our talented pool of potential engineers, data processors, and managers to migrate to a developed country to obtain hot skills and to develop glowing career paths. Educators in Dominica must commit to the support, time, and resources required to continue improving Math and Science education at all levels. In turn, businesses are likely to consider Dominica as a viable alternative for outsourcing information technology related jobs, and for starting new technology-related ventures.
The challenge remains to educate teachers at all levels, including the elementary schools to learn and in turn, teach computer skills to students. Educators must embrace the Internet and related technology as a learning tool for students, as well as a means of communication for administrators, teachers and even parents. The task may not be an easy one. It may mean, for example, investing in training teachers at what may appear to be difficult financial times for many Caribbean islands.

But as Cisco Systems president John Chambers remarked at a recent summit sponsored by George Bush, "If we don't fix the education system, the jobs will move to where the best-educated workforce is in other countries". Although his quote was targeted towards education in the US, Chambers' comments are of utmost relevance to the education system in the Caribbean region, and especially in Dominica. It is therefore critical that the emerging workforce be trained using the appropriate technology at school in order to compete in the global economy.

It should be noted, that no single approach would solve the problem of educating our current and future workforce to meet the demands of the Internet age. Educators, politicians and businesses must commit to providing solutions, which will propel Dominica and other Caribbean nations into the forefront of the new Internet age. Educational technology must be integrated into the fabric of the education system, in order to prepare our youngsters for the future. In the workforce, training must be available to workers to meet the changing demands of the new Internet age.

Training for the Internet revolution does not necessarily mean utilizing the traditional textbook approach to learning. In preparing students for the Internet age, it is important that technology be used as a learning and research tool for education. Hundreds of educators, policymakers, researchers, and "Internet pioneers" all agree on the Web's potential to transform learning and improve student achievement. A recent Education Commission report, concluded unequivocally: "The Internet enables education to occur in places where there is none, extends resources where there are few, expands the learning day, and opens the learning place . . . It connects people, communities, and resources to support learning." Based on their findings, the Commission has issued a multi-pronged "call to action" to governments, the educational community and policymakers at all levels, including an appeal to "build a new research framework of how people learn in the Internet age."

Computer technology must be embraced as an integral part of the education system in Dominica.

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