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Staying up to date with changes in IT
Book chapter

Staying up to date with changes in IT

T.J. McGill and M.W. Dixon
Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Second Edition, pp.789-808
Idea Group
2009
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Abstract

Information and communications technology (ICT) has been changing rapidly over a long period and this rate of change is likely to continue or increase (Benamati & Lederer, 2001a; Lee & Xia, 2005). This rapid rate of change has produced many opportunities for organizations, but has also brought with it many challenges (Benamati & Lederer, 2001b). Among these challenges is the struggle for organizations to obtain personnel with the appropriate information technology (IT) knowledge and skills in order to meet their ICT needs (Byrd & Turner, 2001; Doke, 1999; Standbridge & Autrey, 2001). This is mirrored by the continual requirement for IT professionals to keep up to date with the skills required by organizations (Benamati et al., 2001a; Klobas & McGill, 1993; Moore, 2000). Previous research has investigated the importance employers place on various skills and perceived deficiencies in these skills (e.g., Doke, 1999; Leitheiser, 1992; Nelson, 1991; Prabhakar, Litecky, & Arnett, 2005). While the call for improved communication and social skills has been consistent, the technical skills in demand have varied dramatically over time (Prabhakar et al., 2005; Van Slyke, Kittner, & Cheney, 1998). Less has been written about students’ perceptions of the importance of various ICT skills, though this was addressed in a study that compared Australian and American students’ perceptions of ICT job skills (von Hellens, Van Slyke, & Kittner, 2000). This article provides an overview of a project that investigated the channels of information that ICT students use to keep up to date with employers’ needs.

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