Implementing Industry Certification in an IS curriculum: An Australian Experience

Over a period of 40 years, the Information Systems (IS) discipline has become an essential component in the employment of information technology personnel in business and government organisations. In recent times there have been discussions by IS professionals on how to best respond to developments in the information technology and communications industry. At the same time there has been a downturn in employment opportunities in this industry (ICT Skills Snapshot, 2004). Recent research also indicates that many of the entry-level positions that graduates traditionally entered have diminished due to the economic downturn and to companies outsourcing positions to off-shore companies. This “in-progress ” paper presents the path that one Australian University school took in introducing multiple certification programs in an endeavour to better connect a university school with ICT industry requirements. The certification programs include SAP, ITIL, I-Net+ and Microsoft accredited programs. The results of this in-progress research show that flexibility in delivery mode and effective merging of curriculum and certification content is crucial to achieving successful programs