APDIP e-Note 17 on ICT Skill Development in the Asia-Pacific Region

A significant number of countries in the Asia-Pacific region have attempted to increase ICT training facilities, either through expansion of existing training institutions or by establishing new ones. In most cases, however, national efforts seem to have consistently underestimated the size of the market for ICT skills. In rare cases where the overall demand and supply balance was achieved, there were imbalances at the individual skill levels: surpluses in some skills and severe shortages in many others. In addition, ICT employers often report of the poor ICT skills imparted by existing training institutions in the region. This can have serious implications for the growth and development of the regional ICT industry. On one hand, there would be large number of unemployed graduates. On the other hand, there would be skill shortage and vacant jobs in the industry.

This APDIP e-Note highlights possible solutions for bridging the gap between ICT skill demand and supply. They include:

• A comprehensive and dynamic national planning and forecasting mechanism at individual country level to be supported by a regional mechanism that can monitor regional trends in ICT skill demand and supply;
• Expansion of ICT training capacity through encouragement of private sector investment and use of innovative Internet-based training;
• Provision of regular monitoring by national authorities on the quality of training;
• Establishment of skill testing and certification centres at the national and regional levels;
• Development of regional standards for ICT skills and occupations, and harmonization of national standards with the developed regional standards; and
• Investment in ICT research and development for building capacities and skills in the ICT sector.

This APDIP e-Note is based on the presentations and deliberations on this issue during the Regional Forum on ICT Capacity Building, organized by the Asian and Pacific  Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (APCICT) at Incheon, Republic of Korea, 5 - 6 March 2007.

APDIP e-Notes are brief snapshots that present analyses of specific issues related to ICTs for sustainable human development in the Asia-Pacific region. This online series introduces readers to the who, what, where, why and how of a wide range of current issues related to ICTs such as Internet governance, ICTs and poverty reduction, e- governance, free and open source software, and many others.

Related Links

APDIP e-Note 17 - ICT Skill Development in the Asia-Pacific Region - Part two: Bridging the gap between demand and supply, Ravi Raina, 2007 [PDF, 208kB]

APDIP e-Note 13 - ICT Skill Development in the Asia-Pacific Region - Part one: the gap between demand and supply, Ravi Raina, 2007 [PDF, 258kB]

All APDIP e-Notes

APDIP e-Resources

Proceedings of the APCICT Regional Forum on ICT Capacity Building

Malaysia Education Ministry allocates MYR15million for ICT studies, The Star Online, 10 July 2007