IT for Decision Makers
Capacity Building
By Taholo Kami
for UNESCO
Capacity Building Dilemma
Human Resource Capacity is only one
factor of many other limitations including
infrastructure
regulatory issues
cost of access
How do we jump start a nation? Where do
we begin?
New Zealand in 2001 began developing a
fast tracking strategy to upskill the nation
FAST TRACKING versus
traditional Education strategies
Building a knowledge based society is a priority
Participation in the global economy is driven by
the ability to use information
Traditional education strategies are too slow
Fast tracking is identifying critical gaps in
capacity and focusing resources to close gaps at
an accelerated pace
Human Resources….
Human dimension is the most important
Affordable and fast Internet access without
the human capacity to optimize it is poor use
of resources.
E.g. Fiji’s Southern Cross cable will be
incentive to speed development of IT
initiatives but until human resources are able
to utilize access, it has little impact on
development.
The Challenge
Currently less then 5% of Pacific
populations have anything to do with the
Internet
We lack skills at all levels from general
awareness to specialist technical skills to
management and leadership.
We need to develop cultures that embrace
innovation and initiative and support
entrepreneurship
Who are we Targeting?
Government Employees
Private Enterprise
Civil Society
General Public
School Students
What kind of Skills?
Tangibles
Administrative
Management
Operational
Technical
Legal and Regulatory
Security
Intangibles
Innovation
Creativity
Initiative
Integrity
Entrepreneurship
Leadership
Administrative
High level Commitment
Agency or multi sectoral mechanism to
drive the transformation
Necessary resources
Management
Plan, organize, direct and control activities
Define new working procedures and
ethics
Solve problems and make decisions
Establish and maintain good
interdisciplinary relations
Ensure customer satisfaction through
quality control of services and products
Operational
Capable Manpower
Availability of necessary resources
Effective operating procedures
Good Systems backup services
Technical
Network hardware and terminal
equipment
Systems and network software
Compatibility with Internet standards
Networks and systems integration
Upgradable systems and networks
Legal and Regulatory
Protection of right to privacy
Setting and maintenance of Standards of
ethics
Establishment of framework that
effectively deals with computer crime
Security
Protection of systems hardware
Protection of information and database
Organizational security
Controls over data input, processing and
output
Intangibles (the “x” factors)
Difficult to produce but these are essential
“People factors”
Long term cultural change
Culture of organizations / nation must be
addressed
Involve Schools, Communities and Families.
In the short term spot potential champions at all levels and develop
and support
Provide Incentives that encourage innovation
Highlight successes
Assessment
Identifying Critical Gaps in Capacity
Available Skills
Training Facilities
Available Resources
Assessment
Existing Training Facilities
Education Institutions
Private agencies / facilities
Consultants / skilled trainers
Internal or In-house facilities
Distance education via Internet
Overseas Scholarships
Fast Tracking Strategy
Set Benchmark objectives
Must be realistic and attainable
Formal Education - examples
Every grade 6 primary school student will have basic
level computer skills by 200_
All high schools will offer IT courses by 200_
All teachers will have IT usage certificate by _
Technical and tertiary institutions will offer
international standard IT courses by 200_
10 scholarships per year for overseas IT training
Benchmarking continued
Integrate into workplace – egs
All Government employees level 1-9 must
have basic IT usage certificate by 200_
All new Government employees must have IT
usage certificate
Wage increments for further IT training
Incentives for private enterprise and
institutional employment training schemes by
200?
New Tracks….an example
Raising awareness and basic IT Skills
IT License / Passport Scheme
Objective to ensure passport/license holder
has basic computer and Internet skills
Passport / License holder needs to sit 4 to 5
one hour courses and a test
IT license /passport becomes necessary for
all employment.
Incentives provided to various institutions to
provide training
Fast Tracking
Link to existing Institutions
Financial Incentives for institutional participation
National recognition of special qualifications
Create new tracks…
Specialist courses for specific skills
Special courses for high level decision makers
Incentives that Motivate are those that make
sense to individuals own goals
Funding
Scholarships for overseas training
Incentives for new courses in local
institutions
Incentives to organizations to upskill staff
Incentives and funding for new private
training programmes
Incentives for individuals to participate in
special training courses
Retention Strategy
Cut the Brain Drain / leakage
Package Approach
Rewards are more then monetary
Professional Development
Career Progression
Peer Recognition
Good People build great organizations - great organizations are
cornerstones of national development
Conclusion
Upskilling a nation and creating
knowledge society requires
Clear and attainable objectives
A realistic but often unconventional strategy
to achieve objectives
Commitment of Resources
Remember Upskilling is a continuous
process
The biggest pool of natural
resources in the Pacific are our
people…..
empowering and enabling the
people is the engine for real growth.