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July 5, 1999

SIM Takes The Long-Term View

By Bob Violino

he Society for Information Management is looking to help IT managers deal with the labor crunch during the next several years. A SIM task force, established last year, will determine which IT skills are most needed and how they can be developed, says Mary Jo Greil, systems manager of the specialty business group at International Paper Co. in Purchase, N.Y., and chairwoman of the task force. SIM plans to conduct periodic surveys of its members to identify skills needed to fill gaps across the industry.

SIM doesn't want to focus on reactive approaches to the IT labor shortage.That results in bidding wars for workers who end up quickly leaving companies for higher pay, Greil says. Instead, the task force hopes to boost the long-term supply of skilled labor. The strategies the task force is working on include:

Refining the roles of IT and non-IT workers so users are less reliant on IT;

Cooperation among vendors to reduce product complexity and free up IT people for new tasks;

Investment in training for IT professionals and those seeking a career change to IT;

Collaboration among industry and academic institutions;

Awareness programs for youth organizations to promote IT career opportunities.

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