Open Source: A Pathway to Career Development - OSDeCrestsa.osdec.gov.my/uploads/MyGOSSCon 2010/23.-...

Open Source: A Pathway to Career Development

Jeffrey Bannister, Paul Mather & Vivian Koh

Orbitage Sdn. Bhd.

Overview• The Malaysian Government is going through the Government

Transformation Programme (GTP), designed to move Malaysia to a high-income economy by 2020

- National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs) identified, including electrical and electronics, education and communications

• To facilitate this communication and information exchange between government departments needs a connected knowledge base

- Requires a modern, secure, resilient, high speed communications and information network infrastructure

• Human capital has to be developed to support this

• Paper focuses on

- Developing the skills needed to ensure that the agencies can develop, maintain and make full use of such a network

- Building these skills in a structured manner to provide a career path during the transformation to a knowledge economy

Open Source: A Pathway to Career Development slide 2

Introduction• Human capital is a key asset organizations possess

• Organizations rely on the available education resources to develop through:

- In-house training

- Professional training

- Traditional academic qualifications

• We are experiencing a data explosion

- New eGovernment services come on line and general public have more ubiquitous access via hand-held devices and wireless/mobile networks

- Management of information in a cost effective manner is critical for successful organisations

• ICT skills play a significant role in support of the knowledge economy

- There are issues with academia keeping pace with dynamic real-world conditions

- Professional training providers, tend to tie in closely to particular vendors and too specific on system configuration


Introduction• There is a move towards professional competence-based

programs that place an emphasis on - Developing transferable skills in analysis and troubleshooting - Measure skills acquired

• Open source is an ideal tool to partner with this since it is founded on similar goals and ethos, - Provides for self reliance of individuals and countries,

becoming “a technology producer rather than a consumer.” - More in line with strategic programs for nation building such

as the Malaysian Government Transformation Program • The program used in this paper as an example for career

development builds technical skills in computer networking- Government agencies need to identify ‘skills gaps’ and

‘training needs’ before embarking on such a program- Programs are aligned with MoHR(JPK) standards to ensure

skills are developed in a structured manner


“Malaysians can not only embrace technology but also lead in the improving and even building new technology.” Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, MDeC CEO

Addressing the Needs of the Nation• 9th and 10th MP emphasise:

- Development of local talent & upgrade of the existing workforce

- ICT and Education sectors as key economic growth areas

• A skilled workforce provides national organizations with a competitive edge

• Investment in skills development leads to - Increased motivation amongst the workforce - Better staff retention - Builds a stronger, more competitive home-grown

industry base• MoHE forecasts large requirements to meet industry

demands of projects such as the High Speed Broadband (HSBB), eGovernment, bridging the digital divide, etc.


Addressing the Needs of the Nation

• MoHE figures for human capital demand


The Connected Nation

• Internet access is vital with increased reliance on online services

• This is particularly true in the government sector

• Emerging communications channels include Facebook, Twitter, Wikis, blogs, etc.

- E.g. twitter.com/najibrazak

• Malaysia’s High Speed Broadband (HSBB) service project is part of a nation building strategy

• Access to communications and broadband infrastructure has a direct impact on national growth

- ITU-T: “a 10% increase in broadband penetration can boost GDP by an average of 1.3%”


Knowledge Management• “Greater ease of obtaining information and developing knowledge”

is one of most important factors contributing to global business environment profitability

• This is a challenge for governments, due to

- The vast amount of information

- Interworking different departments using disparate systems

• Open source already playing a key role here. MAMPU/OSCC identify the following as important for government

- freedom of choice of software usage

- increase interoperability among systems

• A key issue is to maintain a level of trust with the general public otherwise they will be reluctant to make use of services

- Imperative that the skills of personnel charged with this responsibility are relevant & up-to-date


Open Source for Economic Development• An “enabler” for bridging the digital divide

- Reduces the total cost of ownership - Provides access to technology and services to those

who it would otherwise have been placed beyond their means

• Recent explosion of equipment vendors: open source offers a quick way to develop platforms and systems

• A nation can build reliance on its own ‘brands’- Promotion and growth of entrepreneurs - Access to an educated and dynamic workforce - Example, in the mobile device field: Symbian and

Android


Significance of Internet Protocol (IP)• The Internet Protocol (IP) is at the heart of our

networking infrastructure and is the glue that provides access to services

• The equipment market has been dominated by two vendors: Cisco and Juniper- Dominance of vendor training, which ties the trainee

in to a specific platform• Era of “always connected” devices including smart

phones, tablet PCs/netbooks, TV set top boxes, gaming consoles, fridges, etc. - each relies on IP

• In eGovernment, we already rely on services supported by IP, e.g., Tax eFiling

• Will encompass wider range of services increasingly being accessed via wireless/mobile devices.


For skills, it is the “semantics” that are important rather than the actual command “syntax” – focus should be on “why” and “how”

IP Evolution Roadmap• Current version of IP, IPv4, is feeling the strain and it is

anticipated the available capacity will be exhausted by the start of 2012

• A new version, IPv6 is available• 29th September 2010, the White House issued a directive

requiring all US government agencies to upgrade their public-facing Web sites and services by 30 September, 2012, to support IPv6

• In Malaysia, the communications infrastructure is seen as critical for the nation- Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission

(MCMC), has already introduced a policy of readiness for migration to IPv6

- IPv6 readiness is a priority for the government services to ensure that their systems are compatible and can support it

- MCMC worked with all the Telcos and Internet Service Providers to certify the networks are capable and equipped to support IPv6


Instructional Design for Competence-Based Training• Many technical training programs rely on “attendance”

only this is now seen as having a limited effect• People need to have their skills ‘measured’ to identify

staff capable of completing a task successfully- Also provides individuals with a “goal” for self-

development• Program design must be based on assessable outcomes

based on what the participant is able to do rather than what they know

• Key aspect is how one task relates to another; simply being able to perform a particular task without understanding its actual association with other tasks will not provide a holistic approach to learning


Assessment of Learning Outcomes • Break learning outcomes down into a set of identifiable competences

which can be assessed through observation.

• Develop a written exam which contains scenario based questions to assess abilities in both the underpinning knowledge and the skills that have been developed

• Develop a practical examination to assess the interaction between competences, applying a methodology developed through the program


Sample Competence Assessment Sheet


Developing a National Competence Standard (NCS) in IP• The Malaysian Human Resource Ministry has been

developing skills of the nation through National Occupational Skills Standards (NOSS)- A development of the Majlis Latihan Vokasional

Kebangsaan (MLVK)• The following Certified IP Programs are now

standards- Certified IP Associate (CIPA)- Certified IP Engineer (CIPE)

• Other advanced standards are to follow- Certified IP Professional (CIPP)- Specialising in troubleshooting, Quality of Service

(QoS) IPv6, security, Next Generation Networks (NGN)


Developing a National Competence Standard (NCS) in IP

• Widely accepted by the telecommunications industry but equally relevant to all organisations that rely on complex ICT networks- Builds competence to manage complex network

infrastructures be it in the public or private sector• More than 1,500 professionals have gone through

the first level of certification and are proceeding on to the next levels

• Fundamental requirement was to develop a skills-based training framework that centres on open source applications and vendor interoperability

• The Certified IP program framework provides a structured path for IP skills development through practical, hands-on programs


Open Source Learning Environment


Structure of Certified IP Roadmap• Skills in the Internet Protocol (IP) are developed and measured based

on competence outcomes

- can be readily applied across multiple platforms and system

• Skills in analysis, documentation and troubleshooting are also developed which can be applied in any context.


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Integrating Professional Qualifications into Degree Program• CIPA/CIPE are being mapped into the MQF &

obtain credit hours • Already have industry recognition which is a strong

incentive for universities to adopt them • Provides

- Professional qualification into relevant academic programs to build hands-on skills in addition to academic knowledge

- Graduates with an edge, making them more employable

- A career route for working professionals to update or develop their relevant skills in new areas for career advancement


Malaysian Qualifications Framework


Pathways for Adoption • Incorporate basic and intermediate programs into the

bachelor’s courses in the area of IT which have best match to subject areas - For part time working adults, aimed at technician level staff

as a roadmap to a degree- For full time students, they graduate with a high demand

skillset• Incorporate more advanced programs into MBA level

- Provides a career development pathway for engineers into management roles

- Develop analytical, transferrable skills that relate directly to real-world requirements

- Creates senior level “technical managers” who have a solid understanding of technical aspects and have a career development pathway within the organisation

- Builds loyalty to the organisation and retains the skills they have in-house


Blending Professional Qualifications with 3rd Level


Conclusions• Malaysia requires a large quantity of skilled personnel in ICT but

estimated shortfall of 84,000 by 2018

• Government agencies can benefit from the pioneering role played by local telecommunications organisations and do not need to reinvent the wheel

• The CIPA, CIPE and CIPP programs

- Form a vendor neutral training roadmap for working professionals already engaged in the ICT sector

- Are being integrated into bachelor/master degree with local universities to provide the ‘best’ graduates with credit transfer between skills & academic programs

• Excellent opportunity for Malaysia to build a local skilled talent pool to meet this demand which will

- Create more local ICT entrepreneur companies who can develop solutions so that

• Malaysia can become a talent hub for both skills and products in this high-value area


Thank YouTerima Kasih

Many thanks for your time and attention

Open Source: A Pathway to Career Development - OSDeCrestsa.osdec.gov.my/uploads/MyGOSSCon 2010/23.-...

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