ACS to Raise Standards for ICT Migrants

Friday 19 July 2002 - The Australian Computer Society will push to increase professional standards for ICT workers seeking to migrate to Australia under the Federal Government's Skilled Migrant program.

ACS President, Richard Hogg, said the move follows the gazettal of a new regulation by the Government giving professional societies greater responsibility for setting the standards relating to skilled migration.

"As a result of this change the ACS plans to introduce a requirement for relevant work experience as well as a recognised ICT-related qualification with a high degree of ICT content," said Mr Hogg.

"One of our concerns in the past was that many of the people coming into Australia under the skilled migrant program wouldn't have qualified as ACS members because of their lack of industry experience or the fact that their tertiary studies didn't include a high enough level of ICT knowledge.

"By raising the standards for the level of knowledge and industry experience we expect from people applying to emigrate to Australia, we can ensure that those who do arrive on our shores are equipped to make a positive contribution to Australia's ICT sector."

Mr Hogg said the ACS only assesses applications made under the Skilled Migration program and has no control over the quality or experience of people being sponsored into Australia by individual companies.

"Given the level of unemployment within the ICT industry, we strongly encourage businesses to explore local options before bringing in skills from outside the country.

"An experienced ICT professional can apply their skills and knowledge to very quickly achieve competence with new technologies and there are enormous benefits in retraining and developing existing staff rather than bringing in someone from overseas," he said.

The ACS has also welcomed moves by the Federal Government to suspend priority processing of visa applications for ICT workers.

"We currently have a large pool of unemployed ICT workers and I urge local employers to first seek out within the local market experienced people who either have or can quickly acquire the skills they need," Mr Hogg said.

This media release is available on the ACS Web site at http://www.acs.org.au/news/190702.htm

ENDS

About the Australian Computer Society: The ACS is the recognised association for information technology (IT) professionals, attracting a large and active membership from all levels of the IT industry and providing a wide range of services to its 16,000+ members. A member of the Australian Council of Professions, the ACS is the public voice of the IT profession and the guardian of professional ethics and standards in the IT industry, with a commitment to the wider community to ensure the beneficial use of IT. See the ACS Home Page for more information.

Media Enquiries:

Richard Hogg, ACS National President, Tel: (0408) 549 531, Email: richard_hogg@acslink.net.au

Caroline New, PR Consultant, Tel: (02) 9555 1986 or (0411) 889 456, Email: cnew@acslink.net.au