Book chapter
Staying up to date with changes in IT
Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Second Edition, pp.789-808
Idea Group
2009
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.
Details
- Title
- Staying up to date with changes in IT
- Authors/Creators
- T.J. McGill (Author/Creator)M.W. Dixon (Author/Creator)
- Contributors
- M. Khosrow-Pour (Editor)
- Publication Details
- Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Second Edition, pp.789-808
- Publisher
- Idea Group; Hershey, PA
- Identifiers
- 991005541489607891
- Copyright
- © 2009, Idea Group Inc
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Information Technology
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
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