Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (ACOA), the Honourable Fred J. Mifflin and Premier Pat Binns of the Province of Prince Edward Island, announced today a new initiative under the Knowledge Economy Partnership. The Knowledge Worker Demand Survey will forecast the need for highly skilled knowledge-based industry workers on Prince Edward Island over the coming three years. The project, approved under the Knowledge Economy Partnership (KEP) initiative, will provide $17,700 in funding to the Information Technologies Association of PEI (ITAP) to conduct the private sector portion of the survey.
"At Veterans Affairs Canada, we are committed to using information technology to help improve service to our clients," said Minister Mifflin. "We also recognize the importance of developing, attracting and retaining top-calibre information technology specialists, so we welcome this opportunity to participate with Knowledge Economy Partnership in conducting this survey."
"Prince Edward Island is not alone in facing a shortage of highly-skilled knowledge workers," said Premier Binns. "But in order to establish a world-class environment for the cultivation of knowledge-based industries, first we require a better idea of the kind of skills and the number of workers we will need."
The Knowledge Worker Demand Survey will measure the size and characteristics of the information technology and knowledge-based workforce in the public and private sectors on PEI. Data collection from the business community will be coordinated by the Information Technologies Association of PEI.
"This survey will provide us with essential benchmark information about the strengths and weaknesses of our current labour force as well as a measure of the anticipated needs of our sector," said Ed Lawlor, chair of ITAP. "With it, we will be in a better position to make strategic plans for the future."
The survey results, expected early in the new year, will be used to predict workforce demand. An appropriate strategy to address the knowledge worker shortfall would then be developed based on the highly successful Software Education for the Year 2000 program.
MEDIA BACKGROUNDER
Background:
Under the Knowledge Economy Partnership (KEP), the federal government and province of Prince Edward Island are committed to establishing a world-class environment for the cultivation of knowledge workers and knowledge industries. Knowledge workers are highly-skilled individuals who, as defined by the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council, "produce information technology products, provide communications and processing infrastructure or process information/research into knowledge products and services."
The Project:
To address a recognized shortage of knowledge worker skills in the Prince Edward Island labour force, the federal and provincial governments, in collaboration with the private sector, have launched a Knowledge Worker Demand initiative. The initiative involves two phases, the first being to conduct a Knowledge Worker Demand Survey (KWDS) which will be used to produce a three-year forecast of the demand for knowledge workers. The second phase will see the development of knowledge worker supply strategies that address the growing demand.
Objectives:
to determine the current number of qualified knowledge workers with information technology skills in the Prince Edward Island labour force;
to determine the demand for public (federal and provincial) and private sector knowledge workers on Prince Edward Island over the next three years; and
based on the survey results, propose an appropriate strategy for Island-wide knowledge worker development and training, including internship programs modelled on the success of the Software Education for Year 2000 program.
Knowledge worker demand will be assessed by surveying public and private sector organizations on Prince Edward Island to determine the kinds and numbers of knowledge workers needed. The Information Technologies Association of Prince Edward Island will take responsibility for survey coordination within the private sector. Tools have been developed to assist organizations in determining the ideal survey participants, to orientate survey participants to the knowledge economy and the characteristics of knowledge work, and to solicit and analyse knowledge worker demand information.
The results of the demand survey will form the basis for development of both short- and long-term supply strategies to meet the growing need for knowledge workers in Prince Edward Island.
The KWDS will be conducted throughout December of this year, with a final report to be available February 1, 1998.
Partners:
Government of Canada
Government of Prince Edward Island
Information Technology Association of PEI
Approved KEP Funding: $ 17,630
For more information, contact: Peter West, Veterans Affairs Canada, (902) 566-7437, E-mail: pxwest@itd.vac-acc.gc.ca; Bill Drost, Province of Prince Edward Island,
(902) 368-5340, E-mail: bcdrost@gov.pe.ca; Ed Lawlor, ITAP, (902) 368-8122, E-mail: elawlor@deltaware.com.