Confession: I’m one of those people who checks her Twitter feed before getting out of bed. And because I’m still on holiday time, I caught up with many of the articles/links posted. One in particular caught my eye – IT worker shortage has serious implications for Canada (December 2012) – for a number of reasons. (I just finished a class on cyberspace issues, I’m working on a website upgrade, and I’m exploring my relationship to my career all come in the top three reasons.)

Although the article looks at ICT (information communication technologies) in relation to business, these are also serious issues for those in the community benefit/nonprofit sector. But there are other, more serious, implications for that sector:

• We’re already struggling to keep good people in the sector in Alberta because the lure of better pay/benefits/etc. in some business/for-profit areas. This article implies that this will become increasingly difficult as ICT professionals will be drawing even larger salaries than the norm. (And no, recruiting ICT professionals as volunteers won’t address all these issues.)
• As the article notes, it’s a challenge (time-wise) for people to learn new technologies. How do we make time for professional development in this area in addition to / as well as the other areas we’re working in? How do we encourage those working in the sector to do it?
• What happens to agencies when they can’t keep up with the changing world of ICTs? Do their visions/missions get picked up by others (ie new agencies, grassroots) or do they disappear? How does a lack of independent voices around the table change the sector?
• The sector is fairly risk-averse. How do we balance that with the inclusion of new ICTs, many of which are untried and untested? Do we risk falling further behind the corporate/for-profit sector, and how does that impact our working relationships, donor relationships and so on?
• What opportunities are we missing when we aren’t engaged with new technologies? What if the best way to fulfill a mission is “right there” and we don’t know about it?

One of the best way to develop solutions is to communicate, especially with those who are working in the ICT field. So I’m off to converse with one of my best sources in the field (@pinkgecco) over dinner and a couple of Catan-settling games. I expect it will lead to more on this subject in the future, as it always does!