REDIFINING THE ROLE OF THE
ICT PROFESSIONALS
CTO HR4ICT; 6th – 7th July 2015
Maputo, Mozambique
JK Kandie
Director/Human Capital & Administration
The paradox of life?
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• Who is an ICT
professional?
• What is their current role?
• What is the expected future
Role?
• What skill sets are
required?
The Communications of
Kenya (CA) experience
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Who is a professional?
• Possess an underlying core body of specialized,
in‐depth, knowledge – Academic/Technical Training
• Has the capacity for independent Decision / action
and held accountable,
• Operating with a high level of responsibility and
autonomy – Practical experience
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Who is a Professional?
• Bound to a code of professional ethics –
Developed by a professional body.
• Engages in regular continuing professional
development, enhancing relevant technical
and professional skills
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ICT professional
This entails 3 key components;
• Information – Giver and receiver. The recipient is
passive, and decides on how to use the information –
Broadcasters?
• Communication – packing the message to meet the
Need of the receiver; interactive. PR?
• Technology- the Medium of communication
(The infrastructure, / pipe)
Each of these areas require separate skill sets.
Are there 3 professionals in one?
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In the past….
• Each of these areas had their own home turf and
each protected their area.
• People had to be trained in IT in order to use basic
tools and generate information.
• There was proliferation of “Computer” colleges in
even in small shopping centres, teaching basic skills.
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Changed Roles
• The use of information has drastically
changed
• Technical skills are no longer the sole
provinces of the IT people.
• Employees throughout the organization use
technology as a routine
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From Space research to village life, ICT is key
New Role of ICT services
ICT services have moved to the center of life,
affecting every sphere such as;
• Learning/ education
• business,
• entertainment
• social life
• every day events
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With Environmental changes, new skills have to be
acquired
New areas of Focus for ICT The ICT professional will focus on 4 key areas;
• Data Analysis – Understanding that information
people need e.g Investors may need demographic
information for different reasons, eg. Size of youth
market, birth rate for children’s clothes etc
• Risks – Understanding and managing the risks
associated with data
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New areas of focus
• Appreciation and development of robotics and other
electronic means of doing routine activities.
• Security of information – The greatest theft is no
longer cars or electronic items but information
• Personal data is a product which can be sold.
The new areas of focus require new thinking
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New Thinking
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It is better to be a pirate
than to join the Navy
what is the new Role of the ICT
professional Since ICT permeates every sphere of life, the
professional’s role move to;
• Business Partner – Understand the both present and
future direction of business
• Advisor - Appreciate the various applications of ict
and make it simple for the ordinary users.
• Facilitator – Unlocking the creativity of the users
The soft skills are critical for today’s professional to
succeed.
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The CA Experience
• CA invests in continuous capacity building for
employees. A percentage of the budget is committed
to training and development
• Each employee is expected to attend at least 5 days
of each training each year.
• The training is focused on current trends in the ICT
industry
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• Training towards “Transforming lives through use of ICT. Facilitator Role
• Laptops and smart phones issued to all staff,
including support staff, as part of their daily
working tools.
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Investing for future employees
• 30 students are taken every 3 months for
internship programs in various departments.
• The students are exposed to various facets
of work, touching on their area of study.
• The students are also involved in external
activities in order to appreciate wider issues
of ICT regulation
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Conclusion
• The focus of the ICT business is on solutions and
making use of ICT simple.
• ICT services play a supportive role for business and
life
• Capacity building initiatives should focus on
empowering the employees on soft skills, and
developing creativity
• ICT professionals are no longer computer Geeks,
but Catalysts for Development
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“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” Albert Einstein
Passion and Imagination
Drive the world
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