Addressing Canada’s Digital Skills Supply Shortage in IT |
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Canada’s digital skills supply shortage is a critical issue. Here’s what educators, employers, and the government can do to find solutions.
Canada is experiencing a digital skills supply shortage, with about 70 percent of businesses in Canada struggling to obtain talent with the skills it requires. There’s currently significant demand for information technology(IT)-skilled talent, but the industry is facing low supply, especially in growing IT fields like cybersecurity and AI.
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One part of the solution is to increase the number of minorities in IT who are currently underemployed. A Deloitte Canada study found that roughly 1.7 million under-represented Canadians experience barriers to entering the IT workforce. By addressing these barriers, governments can help increase the available skilled talent. One example is Indigenous workers, who are systematically underrepresented, yet by 2030 they will be about seven percent of the available workforce.
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Refer a New Member and Get a Free Year of CIPS Membership!* |
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CIPS Members get a FREE YEAR of CIPS Membership and are entered into a Prize Draw worth $250 for referring a new member!*
Encourage your friends and colleagues to Join CIPS and have them enter your name and email at the bottom of the membership form in the “REFERRED BY A CIPS MEMBER?” field.
You’ll then be provided with a free year of CIPS membership! (e.g. if your membership expires October 2022, after referring a new member your membership expiry will be updated to October 2023.)
* Promotion runs until June 30th 2022. Each CIPS member is eligible for a maximum of one year of free CIPS membership regardless of how many new members they referred. The new member must join as a full CIPS member, as student membership doesn’t qualify for this promotion.
Prize Draw – For both Referring Members and New Members!*
Referring Members – The more new CIPS members you refer, the more entries you’ll receive in the prize draw!
New Members – Become a CIPS Member (student membership not eligible for promo) and indicate a CIPS member that referred you to also be entered into the prize draw! Enter the name of the CIPS member that referred you and their email at the bottom of the membership form in the “REFERRED BY A CIPS MEMBER?” field.
* Promotion runs until June 30th 2022. Prize draw winners to be announced July 4th.
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The Rosie the Riveter-Inspired Initiative
The Rosie 1:1 Mentoring Program
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The Rosie 1:1 Mentoring Program is a FREE virtual program that opens doors for self-identifying Canadian women who want to advance their careers in STEM, skilled trades, and leadership. We are looking for women professionals in these fields interested in the opportunity to be mentored.
What does the program entail?
- Participate in a 6-month program and connect with your mentor once a month for one to two hours.
- Mentors will guide and assist protégées one-on-one as they work towards their professional and personal development goals and create strategies together for reaching them.
- Mentorship will be virtual as matches may not be in the same geographic location.
If you are:
- A self-identifying Canadian woman with 1+ years of professional experience who is seeking career advancement in STEM, skilled trades, or leadership;
- Committed to professional and personal growth; and
- Looking to expand your network and engage with industry professionals,
Apply to be a protégée here! Deadline to apply is June 30th, 2022.
Who are we?
The Prosperity ProjectTM is a registered charity founded to support the economic empowerment of women and underscore the economic importance of gender equality. The Prosperity Project is grateful to the Rosie Initiative Co-Presenting Partners Capital Power and Ontario Power Generation and Amplify Partner BGIS for their support.
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Law needed requiring AI to be fair, accountable and transparent
CIPS Members Blog on IT World Canada
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By: Donna Lindskog, FCIPS, I.S.P. (ret.)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already being used as an explanation to avoid accountability. In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried to blame a ‘mutant algorithm‘ for exam chaos. When exams were cancelled due to coronavirus, the government used a computer algorithm to assign scores, and thus downgraded many of the teacher’s predictions for A-levels – especially for pupils in poorer areas. The reaction was chaos and outrage.
Visit the CIPS members blog on IT World Canada at:
Are you a CIPS Member that would like to submit an article to the CIPS Members Blog on IT World Canada?
Please email your article to info@cips.ca. This must be a unique article that has not been published anywhere else and should mention CIPS or themes such as Professionalism, Ethics, Privacy, Competency, Integrity, Responsibility and Accountability, and Public Obligation.
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New CIPS Certification Application |
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CIPS is excited to announce that it has released a new CIPS Certification Application and welcomes new CIPS Certification applicants to use this new application and provide feedback for the final version.
This new Certification application utilizes the CIPS IT Skills Assessment tool for the Experience section which identifies your current IT skills, skills gaps, and the skills required to progress in your career. IT skills are assessed using SFIA (Skills Framework for the Information Age), which is a technical competency and skills framework that provides a method of mapping an individual’s professional skills to a set of internationally relevant standard definitions.
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Tech doesn’t sleep, so when do on-call developers?
CIPS Members Blog on IT World Canada
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By Matthew Fogel
In today’s digital economy, web services, cloud storage, streaming services, and game servers must be operational and reliable 24/7 for users. DevOps makes it a responsibility of IT professionals like software developers to support their software in on-call rotations. Instawork states: “The complexity of a platform increases over time, causing on-call duties to become more complicated, especially for a small team.” Improving alert thresholds, error handling, and issue ticketing can make duties easier, but that is only part of the solution. When alerts go off at night during a lengthy on-call shift, a developer’s productivity can be affected for days afterwards. Teams are working to improve productivity by replacing 24/7 rotation schedules with shift patterns that minimize sleep disruption.
Visit the CIPS members blog on IT World Canada at:
Are you a CIPS Member that would like to submit an article to the CIPS Members Blog on IT World Canada?
Please email your article to info@cips.ca. This must be a unique article that has not been published anywhere else and should mention CIPS or themes such as Professionalism, Ethics, Privacy, Competency, Integrity, Responsibility and Accountability, and Public Obligation.
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Announcing ERA’s Same Day Pick Up |
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Easier then ever to donate your Laptops, Tablets & Cellphones through ERA’s Free Pick-Up Service
There are many drop-off sites in Canada where people can bring their unwanted electronics, but how many offer same day pickups from your home this easily?
The Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) is excited to announce our newest promotion to make disposing of your laptops, tablets, and cellphones as fast and convenient for you as possible.
Simply fill out our online form HERE and attach a photo of your devices. Once approved, package the items in a sealed box or bag, wiping down surfaces with disinfectant. We will than send a driver to pick up your package. You’ll get notifications providing instructions on how to help ensure a smooth pickup and when your driver is arriving.
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IT Skills Assessment and Career Planning |
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CIPS Members can then set career goals and compare their current skills to the skills required to progress in their career. Members can then create an action plan to take courses to develop the required targeted skills to reach their career goals.
1) Assess your current IT Skills
2) Set your Career Goals
Compare the skills you currently have to the skills you need to progress in your career
3) Develop Targeted Skills
Create an action plan, take courses, and develop targeted skills to reach your career goals
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Share your CIPS Certificates and Badges on
your LinkedIn Profile, Email Signature, and More!
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QUICK ACCESS: Click “Retrieve a Credential” and enter your email. All of your Certificates and Badges associated with this email will be emailed to you.
FULL ACCESS: – Click “Sign In” for Full Access to post your Credentials on your LinkedIn Profile under the “Licenses & Certifications” section.
Once you’ve accessed your Credentials you can obtain your Unique Certificate/Badge URL, share your Certificate/Badge on Social Media, Embed it in your Email Signature, and download a PDF version.
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The following organizations support CIPS' commitment to professionalism, ethics, and high standards for the I.T. profession and industry. CIPS thanks all its partners for their contribution.
Become a CIPS Partner Today! - Send an email to info@cips.ca.
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