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Posted by: ITNovaScotia Admin	Monday, September 25, 2006
By RODNEY MACDONALD Conservative Party The Leaders Column LLAST WEEK, I joined students at Halifax West High School and learned about robotics and the latest high-tech communications from RIM — and we even danced in a competitive video game. I was there with students, parents, teachers and information technology industry leaders, as well as the Department of Education and Nova Scotia Business Inc. as we launched our government’s IT awareness campaign. It’s about providing a full understanding of the range of choices in the growing IT industry, one of Nova Scotia’s most important engines for economic and social progress. Today, our IT industry has more than 14,000 professionals in 1,400 organizations across Nova Scotia. In fact, the career opportunities and job openings are outgrowing the flow of people entering the field. Our province has taken a leading role in education programming and raising awareness. The students I met on Thursday were engaged, enthusiastic and said they wanted to find out more — that tells me our effort is working... See the full story at The ChronicleHerald.ca

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Comments (2)

Re: Information technology important for economic, social progress

By p.b. on Monday, September 25, 2006

I'm not sure to laugh or cry about Rodney sticking his nose into the IT sector; with his track record so far on other issues are we next for the "RAWD-NEE" curse??

Joking aside, are we perhaps again focusing too much of filling the schools with IT students? It seems not long ago just before the .COM meltdown that ever school in Halifax was churning IT grads out, many of which had to move on to other fields when the bottom fell out of the sector. Aren't most places looking for skilled IT people, not new grads? Or are these folks meant to fill the next round of call center openings (and closings)?

Where is the support for the IT sector and employees we have? Rodney says - "we are focused on the success of Nova Scotia by tapping into all generations: It’s about retaining our youth; retraining older workers, unemployed and underemployed; repatriating (attracting Nova Scotians back home again); and recruiting new Nova Scotians."
What about supporting the people and companies working in IT that we have now, instead of overlooking them and focusing on come from away firms, or helping new companies steal skilled labour away from the locals by giving new companies payroll rebates while existing firms get nothing? IT always seems that the focus is on the big PR moment and headline, never on the day to day operations that are the core of the local IT sector.

Re: Information technology important for economic, social progress	By Tom R. on Monday, October 09, 2006
Did he wear a helmet?