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Volume 8, Number 26 http://isedj.org/8/26/ June 11, 2010
In this issue:
Identifying Influencers in High School Student ICT Career Choice
Ron Babin Kenneth A. Grant
Ryerson University Ryerson University
Toronto, Ontario, Canada Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Lea Sawal
Ryerson University
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Abstract: This paper examines the role of influencers in Canadian high school student decisions to
pursue Information and Communications Technology (ICT) careers and education. With growing
rates of retirements of ICT workers expected over the next 10-15 years, industry representatives are
concerned that the shortfall in replacement workers will have a significant detrimental impact on
business. Various authors and panels have cited the need to attract more high school students to
enroll in ICT post secondary programs. However, what is not clear is how or why students make
decisions to pursue ICT in university and as a career. This paper examines the various influencers
that affect students’ decisions to choose an ICT education and career. As part of an ongoing
program this paper presents the results of three surveys – with responses from 111 Canadian guidance
counsellors, 141 ICT university students and 1335 first year business and IT management students.
The survey findings suggest that parents are the strongest influencers and guidance counsellors are
the weakest influencers. To achieve any significant improvement in the numbers of students choosing
ICT careers, it is recommended that ICT industry representatives must speak directly with students
and their parents. The survey results do suggest that students are attracted by the relatively high
income potential of ICT careers and the entry to a business environment that ICT skills provide.
Further, guidance counsellors see math and science subjects as much more important for success in
an ICT career than do students.
Keywords: IS enrollment, ICT careers, IT workers, labour analysis, ICT labour shortage, skills,
guidance counsellors, high school students
Recommended Citation: Babin, Grant, and Sawal (2010). Identifying Influencers in High
School Student ICT Career Choice. Information Systems Education Journal, 8 (26).
http://isedj.org/8/26/. ISSN: 1545-679X. (A preliminary version appears in The Proceedings of
ISECON 2008: §2323. ISSN: 1542-7382.)
This issue is on the Internet at http://isedj.org/8/26/
ISEDJ 8 (26) Information Systems Education Journal 2
The Information Systems Education Journal (ISEDJ) is a peer-reviewed academic journal
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2010 AITP Education Special Interest Group Board of Directors
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Brigham Young Univ Hawaii
EDSIG President 2007-2008
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Univ NC Wilmington
EDSIG President 2009-2010
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Penn State
Vice President 2010
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Appalachian State
Membership 2010
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High Point Univ
Secretary 2010
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U Maine Augusta
Treasurer 2010
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Grand Valley State
Director 2009-2010
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Merrimack College
Director 2009-2010
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Sam Houston State
Director 2009-2010
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St Michael’s College
Director 2010-2011
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North Carolina A&T
Director 2010-2011
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Appalachian St
JISE Editor ret.
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Quinnipiac University
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Texas State
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Frederick Kohun, Robert Morris
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Cynthia Martincic, St Vincent Coll
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EDSIG activities include the publication of ISEDJ and JISAR, the organization and execution of
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2010 EDSIG http://isedj.org/8/26/ June 11, 2010
ISEDJ 8 (26) Babin, Grant, and Sawal 3
The Key Influencers in High School Student
ICT Career Choice
Ron Babin, rbabin@ryerson.ca
Ken Grant, kagrant@ryerson.ca
Lea Sawal, lea.sawal@ryerson.ca
Ted Rogers School of IT Management
Ryerson University
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Abstract
This paper examines the role of influencers in Canadian high school student decisions to pur-
sue Information and Communications Technology (ICT) careers and education. With growing
rates of retirements of ICT workers expected over the next 10-15 years and continued projec-
tions of staff or skills shortages, industry representatives are concerned that the shortfall in
replacement workers will have a significant detrimental impact on business. Various authors
and panels have cited the need to attract more high school students to enroll in ICT post sec-
ondary programs. However, what is not clear is how or why students make decisions to pur-
sue ICT in university and as a career. This paper examines the various influencers that affect
students’ decisions to choose an ICT education and career. As part of an ongoing program
this paper presents the results of three surveys -- with responses from 111 Canadian guidance
counsellors, 141 ICT university students and 1335 first year business and IT management
students. The survey findings suggest that parents are the strongest influencers and guidance
counsellors are the weakest influencers. To achieve any significant improvement in the num-
bers of students choosing ICT careers, it is recommended that ICT industry representatives
must speak directly with students and their parents. The survey results do suggest that stu-
dents are attracted by the relatively high income potential of ICT careers and the entry to a
business environment that ICT skills provide. Further, guidance counsellors see math and
science subjects as much more important for success in an ICT career than do students.
Keywords: IS enrollment, ICT careers, IT workers, labour analysis, ICT labour shortage,
skills, guidance counsellors, high school students
1. INTRODUCTION
Over the last 20 years, the Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) industry
and related academic programs have seen
both a dramatic increase and then a dramat-
ic decrease in new entrants. From the early
1990s into the start of the new millennium,
students flocked to ICT programs and to op-
portunities within the industry. This rush of
interest peaked in approximately 2001. With
the economic downturn of 2002, exacer-
bated by 9/11 and the growing offshore out-
sourcing of ICT, the technology bubble
burst. The fall-off in ICT enrollments and
career interests has been more dramatic
than the earlier growth. In addition, a long-
established trend of declining female partici-
pation continues. This roller-coaster of inter-
est has been well documented in both aca-
demic and trade journals. What is less clear
is how to re-encourage the young students
of today to consider a career in ICT.
The fall-off in ICT post-secondary program
enrollments has become an important so-
cietal issue. In Canada and the USA, the
ICT working population will soon face a sig-
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2010 EDSIG http://isedj.org/8/26/ June 11, 2010
ISEDJ 8 (26) Babin, Grant, and Sawal 4
nificant decline as Baby-Boom generation
workers begin to retire over the next 10 to
15 years. Both industry and government
have recognized the impact of this impend-
ing departure. Businesses that rely on ICT
skills to build, maintain and operate informa-
tion systems and technology will need to
replace these knowledge workers. At the
same time, the usage of ICT continues to
grow in commercial and personal use, as
technology continues to become more af-
fordable and reliable. ICT jobs, especially
those related to the business application of
ICT (such as business analyst and project
manager) are predicted to be in high de-
mand in the US and in Canada for the next
decade and beyond (Ticoll, 2007).
The Canadian government’s Information
Communications and Technology Council
(ICTC) has frequently cited the need to en-
courage students to enter the ICT careers,
especially given the expected ‘Boomer’ re-
tirements. David Ticoll (2007, p. 1) points
out that “the [ICT] labour market is tighten-
ing, and employers are having trouble find-
ing people they need”, as he describes the
ongoing talent shortage and the global war
for talent as ICT “innovation, persuasiveness
and cost-performance continue to accele-
rate, becoming even more integral to life
and work”. Ticoll (2008, p. 3) further re-
ports that “unemployment among those in
ICT occupations is 2%, which signifies a la-
bour market under pressure.” Slonim
(2008) comments that the Canadian ICT
workforce will grow from 600,000 positions
in 2007, by another 60,000 by 2010. Com-
bined with retirements, and other exits, this
growth will generate a need for 89,000 new
ICT professionals. Given that the number of
Canadian university computer science
enrollments was 22,000 in 2006, and the
combined number of graduate and under-
graduate degrees conferred annually is
about 3,500, clearly there will continue to be
a significant gap between supply and de-
mand for newly educated ICT resources. As
the Ticoll (2008, p. 3) reports, “Many organ-
izations can’t find the ICT professionals they
need and say this is hurting their ability to
deliver projects and provide services.”
The ICT industry is taking steps to highlight
and resolve this growing gap. In Canada, a
recently formed ICT industry coalition has
focused on the issue of declining numbers of
skilled workers. Members of the coalition
represent over 40 major employers of ICT
resources. In a recent speech to an industry
audience, coalition chair Stephane Boisvert
described the gap of 89,000 positions, and
stated: “this IT talent gap represents Cana-
da’s greatest human capital challenge” and
in the next three to five years “the total cost
of not filling those positions would surpass
$10 billion.” (Boisvert, 2008) In a recent
advocacy paper the CIO Association of Can-
ada has also recognized this talent gap call-
ing for a multi-pronged program to “com-
municate information about IT’s changing
role and about IT’s emerging career and
education opportunities”. Similarly, the US
based Society for Information Management
(SIM) conducted a study of Information
Technology Workforce Trends and Implica-
tions, concluding that more organizations
are increasing their IT staffs, with a shift
from technical to project management and
business skills (Zweig, 2006, p. 48). And as
McInerney et al. (2006, p. 51) suggest: “The
shortage of IT workers presents a dire need
of the U.S. in an era when technology is ubi-
quitous” yet students are “misinformed
about the opportunities available in IT fields,
about salaries and about certain business
practices, such as outsourcing.”
The authors’ university has seen a steady
decline in the number of IS students--about
25% over three years--while the interest in
business programs and the university
enrollment in general has grown by 20-30%
in the same time frame. Others have re-
ported similar drops, such as Hirschheim
(2008) who cites enrollment declines of
18%, 23%, and Granger, et al. (2007, p.
304) who suggest that current enrollments
are lower than the mid-90s prior to the in-
ternet and the dot-com build-up. Similarly,
McInerney et al. (2006, p. 35) cite declining
IT student enrollments and a drop in com-
puter science doctorates to the lowest levels
in 12 years. Writing for the Conference
Board of Canada, Gagnon (2005, p. 2) cited
three-year declines, on average, of 50% in
post-secondary ICT programs.
It is particularly ironic that the projected
shortfalls are greatest in those jobs that re-
quire good interpersonal and business skills
as well as solid ICT skills (such as business
analysts and project managers) since, as will
be discussed below, one of the reasons cited
for reduced interest in ICT careers is the
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2010 EDSIG http://isedj.org/8/26/ June 11, 2010
ISEDJ 8 (26) Babin, Grant, and Sawal 5
perceived “nerdiness” and solitary nature of
ICT work.
In summary, the issue of declining enroll-
ment in ICT programs and the current and
forecasted shortfall in employable resources
is a serious challenge to industry and society
in this information age.
2. REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE
Declining IS Enrollment and
Potential Solutions
Much has been written in the last few years
in both academic journals and the trade
press, about how “a generation has been
dissuaded from pursuing what is in reality a
very promising career choice.” (Mitchell,
2006, p. 32)
Many researchers and industry observers
have postulated and examined reasons why
students have avoided programs and careers
in ICT. At the AMCIS 2007 conference, a
panel discussed reasons why “Suddenly,
within a year or two, enrollments decreased
by as much as 70-80 percent throughout the
world.” (Granger, 2007b, p. 649) Panel
members suggested that students and their
parents perceive that there are no jobs in
IS, and perhaps that the IS major is too dif-
ficult. The IS workers are often cited as
“geeky” and “nerdy” or as a Fortune article
unflatteringly described as “Dilbertesque
drones writing code in cubicles and Third
World masses working for pennies an hour.”
(Colvin, 2007)
Another area often criticized is the tradition-
al IS curriculum with an emphasis on tech-
nical issues and software coding. Young en-
trants to IS university programs have a life-
long history of information technology usage
and tend to view technology as well unders-
tood devices to be used rather than pro-
grammed. Indeed, Nicholas Carr’s Harvard
Business Review article “IT Doesn’t Matter”
(2003) has given some support to the stu-
dents’ reluctance to learn the detailed tech-
nical issues of the traditional curriculum.
Add to that a view from employers that “in-
terpersonal communications, integration,
management and project management
skills” are more valued than programming
skills; “programming is not in the top 15
skills industry is seeking from IS graduates.”
(Granger, 2007b, p. 655), and the SIM re-
search finding that there is “a shift in the
mission of the information systems function
from delivering technology-based solutions
to managing the process of delivering solu-
tions.” (Zweig, 2006, p. 48)
Several authors have suggested a breadth of
solutions to reverse the declining enroll-
ment. Some, such as Granger et al. (2007,
p. 308) have suggested marketing and out-
reach programs working with industry and
professional associations. For example, “So-
ciety of Information Management (SIM), IBM
and Microsoft have programs targeted at
creating a more positive image of IS posi-
tions and opportunities.” The University of
Georgia IS Program has put advertising on
buses with smiling IS students, distributed
IS T-shirts printed with “5 Reasons to be an
IS Major” and has published articles in the
student newspaper. Brookshire (2006) ad-
vocates using a multimedia dynamic website
with an easy to remember domain name as
the hub of the outreach efforts, rather than
the traditional two-color tri-fold text based
flyer. In Canada, the CIO Association of
Canada sponsors a program where industry
representatives visit high schools and speak
to interested students about careers in ICT.
A number of authors have suggested curri-
culum revisions and support as key compo-
nents to retaining IS students. Brookshire
(2006) and Granger et al. (2007) recom-
mend putting the excellent teachers into the
introductory classes to attract and retain the
incoming students, using engaging hands-on
technology. Akbulut et al. (2008, p. 85)
have suggested instrumental assistance (i.e.
informal pedagogical support to help stu-
dents outside of the classroom).
Influencing Students on Career
Directions and Programs
Given the precipitous decline of students in
the last five years the conundrum of IS
enrollments has initiated a spate of research
and recent articles. However, the broader
topic of how high school students choose a
post-secondary program and a career direc-
tion rests on a much longer history of re-
search. Paa and McWhirter (2000, p. 30) for
example cite Farmer’s research program in
the 1980s and 1990s which proposed a
model demonstrating how background, per-
sonal and environmental variables establish
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2010 EDSIG http://isedj.org/8/26/ June 11, 2010
ISEDJ 8 (26) Babin, Grant, and Sawal 6
adolescent career motivation. Paa and
McWhirter further cite a concept well devel-
oped by theorists of “(r)ole models or key
figures in the immediate environment of
young people [who are viewed as] important
influencers on young people’s career devel-
opment.” Regarding these role model in-
fluencers, Alexitch at al. (2004, p. 142)
found that “parents and friends were rated
as more important influencers on student
decisions than either high school teachers or
guidance counsellors.” In the Alexitch et al.
sample, only 45% of students reported that
they had met with a guidance counsellor to
discuss post-secondary options.
3. RESEARCH TOPIC AND
METHODOLOGY
With a clearly defined societal problem and a
marshalling of government and industry re-
sources, a new research question begins to
emerge: how should ICT representatives
from industry and academia influence high
school students to pursue education and a
career in ICT? While other avenues for fulfil-
ling the ICT resource demand deficit are
available (e.g. immigration, temporary visas
and outsourcing/offshoring), this research
focuses on the factors that influence the
supply of students and potential employees
through the high school and post-secondary
education system.
Several authors (McInerney et al., 2006, p.
50; Granger et al., 2007, p. 654) have sug-
gested working with high school counsellors
and teachers. Based on the literature review
and on discussions with industry representa-
tives, two research questions were devel-
oped, each with a focus on the role of the
guidance counsellor:
1) Several groups, including guidance
counsellors, teachers, peers and parents
will influence students to pursue ICT
studies. What role will guidance coun-
sellors play in influencing students to
pursue ICT careers?
2) What are the expectations of guid-
ance counsellors regarding math and
sciences as pre-requisites for ICT pro-
grams and careers, and are these expec-
tations reasonable?
Zhang (2007, p. 448) has suggested that
the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) can be
used to understand how students choose an
IS major. Student “attitudes are based on
their evaluations of all possible outcomes
resulting from choosing an IS major, and the
social pressures resulting from the salient
referents’ opinions on whether they should
major in IS.” Zhang concludes that students
prefer majors that have more job opportuni-
ties, that are easier to learn and that they
are genuinely interested in. Zhang also
concludes that students were influenced in
their selection of major by families and pro-
fessors.
Using the concepts from the TRA and from
Zhang’s research, the model shown in Exhi-
bit 1 (see appendix) was developed to pro-
vide a structure for assessing student deci-
sions to pursue an ICT program.
Two surveys (the ICT Surveys) were con-
ducted to compare the perceptions of coun-
sellors and students regarding ICT programs
and careers. The first survey collected res-
ponses from counsellors at the annual On-
tario Provincial Dialogue Conference, a
three-day event which brings together uni-
versity representatives and high-school
counsellors, and through an online survey
distributed by the Ontario School Counsel-
lors’ Association (OSCA). From these two
sources, 111 usable counsellor surveys were
collected, of which 50 were electronic res-
ponses and 61 were paper responses. The
second survey was conducted in the same
time period at the authors’ university. This
electronic survey of IT Management (ITM)
students resulted in 141 usable surveys,
representing an 11% sample. Aside from
the demographic questions, the surveys
asked identical questions regarding percep-
tions of math and science requirements and
the role of influencers on student ICT career
directions.
A third survey (the General Survey) was
administered to all first year Business Man-
agement and IT Management students in the
Bachelor of Commerce program at the au-
thors’ university. The purpose of the survey
was to evaluate student character attributes
and their preparedness for university studies
and eventual career directions. In total
1335 students, a 95% sample, voluntarily
responded to an electronic survey as part of
their in-class program. Fourteen questions
focused on the student career orientation
and over 50 questions focused on student
character assessment. Each student who
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2010 EDSIG http://isedj.org/8/26/ June 11, 2010
ISEDJ 8 (26) Babin, Grant, and Sawal 7
participated in the survey received a detailed
personal evaluation.
4. RESULTS
The ICT Survey
Exhibit 3 in the appendix compares the stu-
dent and counsellor responses from the two
ICT surveys. Four key areas of interest were
identified.
Differing views on the importance of
math
The survey asked about perceptions related
to student abilities in math and science as
an indicator of interest in post-secondary
ICT programs. About 77% of guidance
counsellors agreed or strongly agreed with
the statement: “For post-secondary ICT pro-
grams, students should have strong inter-
ests and capabilities in math and sciences.”
In contrast, only 52% of ITM students
agreed or strongly agreed that they had a
strong interest in math and science. The
top four subjects that these students studied
in the final two years of high school were
English (95%) and Math- Functions and Cal-
culus (76%), both being mandatory final
year courses, followed by Physics (64%) and
Business (57%). Note that one high school
math course is required for entrance to the
Bachelor of Commerce program, although
students may have taken more than one.
Student response in the survey identified
three math courses taken as Functions &
Calculus at 76.4%, Geometry & Discrete
Math at 47.9%, and Data Management at
39.6%.
Exhibit 2 in the appendix depicts the gap in
student and guidance counsellor perceptions
on math and science capabilities.
It is important to note that the respondent
students are not in the computer science or
computer engineering programs, which are
also offered at the university. As described
by McInerney et al. (2006, p. 42), computer
science and engineering students typically
place a higher emphasis on physics and
math while Information Technology Infor-
matics students, similar to the ITM students
in this study, emphasized a “people centered
view of computers” with an emphasis on
business and interpersonal skills.
Student choices are strongly influenced
by potential income, as well as personal
and career interests
When asked about major influencers that
attract students to post-secondary ICT pro-
grams, all respondents in the counsellor and
student surveys agreed that the “opportuni-
ty to earn above average income” was the
top influencer at 4.05 on a 5-point Likert
scale for students and at 4.15 for counsel-
lors. However, students see “the foundation
in a core business discipline that could be
used in any large organization” as the next
most important influencer at 4.0, while
counsellors saw this factor as lower at 3.82,
slightly behind influencers “entrepreneurial
business opportunities” at 3.9 and “well de-
fined and secure career opportunities” at
3.83. The most interesting gap is the per-
ceived impact of “an influential authority
figure, such as a parent or community
member”; students rated this factor as the
lowest influencer at 2.7 and guidance coun-
sellors rated this factor as middle to high on
their list of influencers at 3.6.
When the survey probed further on the fac-
tors that influence the decision to pursue an
ICT career, both students and counsellors
agreed that personal and career interests
were the top two factors at 4.0 and 4.0 for
students, and 4.4 and 4.2 for counsellors.
This agrees with findings from McInerney et
al. (2006, p. 49) that students generally en-
ter ICT programs and careers because of an
inherent personal interest in computers and
information technology. Other researchers
(Malgwi et al., 2005; Kim et al., 2002; Ak-
bulut et al., 2008; Zhang, 2007) have come
to similar conclusions, that the primary in-
fluence for a student program and career
direction will be their personal interests.
Differing views as to the importance of
advice from guidance counsellors
Interestingly, for students the next three
influencers were clustered close together --
location of the institution, career focus and
reputation of the program. The biggest dif-
ferences in student and counsellor views
were the relative importance of other in-
fluencers on a student’s decision for an ICT
career, with students rating counsellors as
least influential, while counsellors felt that
parents and teachers were about equal on
the influence scale as themselves. In de-
creasing levels of influence, students ranked
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2010 EDSIG http://isedj.org/8/26/ June 11, 2010
ISEDJ 8 (26) Babin, Grant, and Sawal 8
their 1) parents, 2) friends, 3) teachers and
4) counsellors. The student scores were
substantially below the counsellor scores for
these four influencers, for example counsel-
lors rated themselves at 3.61 while students
rated counsellors at 1.99. These findings
agree with Malgwi et al. (2005, p. 278)
where students rated 1) parents at 2.4 on a
5.0 scale, 2) teachers at 2.0 and then 3)
counsellors at 1.7. An interesting finding is
that students rated their parents as slightly
more influential than their friends with re-
gards to career direction. Counsellors be-
lieve that friends have a slightly higher influ-
ence than students themselves perceive. In
support of the findings in this research, Paa
and McWhirter (2000) also found that high
school students were influenced very strong-
ly by their parents regarding career expecta-
tions, with girls being more influenced than
boys by their parents. Alexitch et al. (2004,
p. 149) surveyed 816 high school students
and found the same ranking for these four
influencers, and that the ratings for the in-
fluencers did not differ by high school grade.
The authors state: “parents and friends were
more influential than high school counsellors
and teachers… Parents were very important
in students’ decisions to attend university or
college and even more in their decision to
attend a particular institution.”
Young women entering the ITM field
have made different high school course
choices in than young men
The survey distributed to ITM students re-
sulted in some contrast between the res-
ponses of males and females. Of the 141
ITM students that responded, 25% were fe-
males. The small number of female respon-
dents in the program reflects the low num-
ber of female entrants into the ICT industry
and related post-secondary education pro-
grams. In comparison to their male coun-
terparts, female ITM students had much
higher levels of high school courses such as
French (39% for females, 6% for males),
Biology (44% for females, 20% for males),
and Fine Arts (28% for females, 9% for
males). Inversely, male ITM students had
higher enrollment in Physical Education
(36% for males, 17% for females) and
Technical Arts (30% for males, 11% for fe-
males). This difference in subjects studied
provides a vivid contrast between female
and male educational and potential career
interests. However, when asked about what
attracted them to their current program and
what factors most affected their choice “to
pursue IT as a program and a career”, there
was a general consistency between the fe-
male and male responses. A major differ-
ence was that in response to question 4,
approximately 34% of females versus 17%
of males claimed to be influenced by their
parents; suggesting that young females are
twice as likely to be influenced by their par-
ents as are young males. Again, this agrees
with research findings from Paa and McWhir-
ter (2000).
The General Survey
The third survey, administered to students in
the authors’ Faculty of Business Manage-
ment addressed student career orientation
and character assessment, and found similar
results regarding influences on student edu-
cational directions. The survey asked first-
year business management and IT man-
agement students about the assistance they
received while deciding on post-secondary
education. 1248 Business students and 87
ITM students responded to this question.
Both sets of students frequently identified
their parents as influencers, at 27% for
business students and 32% for ITM stu-
dents. Similar to the findings in the first two
surveys, all students identified their guid-
ance counsellors as the lowest influencers;
9% of business students and 8% of ITM stu-
dents identified counsellors as influencers.
In this third survey ITM students rated ‘No
one’ as the highest level of influence at
38%. A possible interpretation for this may
be that they relied on their own understand-
ing and interests. ITM students also put a
low value on the influence of friends, at 12%
compared to business students who rated
their friends’ influence much higher at 26%.
The results from this third survey agree with
the second survey, which indicates that ITM
students rely more on their own interests
and guidance than others, even that of
friends. If anything, students look to parents
for direction for post-secondary education
and potential careers. Exhibit 4 in the ap-
pendix summarizes student responses.
5. DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
The research team drew the following four
broad interpretations from the data.
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1. Students who have chosen an ICT
program do see these careers as well
paying and providing a secure path into
a business career.
2. Math and science, at least for ITM
students, are less important than guid-
ance counsellors believe. High school
business courses may be more relevant
for the students who pursue education in
information systems. A background in
social studies, especially for young
women, is not seen as a barrier by the
students (but may be by guidance coun-
sellors).
3. Students make their own decisions
on career directions in ICT based on
their own perceptions and interests.
They are least likely to listen to guidance
counsellors or teachers on ICT career di-
rections. They are more likely to listen
to parents. Although they rate friends
as having some influence, that influence
is not as strong as other student groups
would acknowledge. ITM students are
somewhat more likely to listen to par-
ents than to anyone else.
4. Female students exhibit higher in-
terests and capabilities in communica-
tion and working with other people.
They are also most influenced by their
parents.
These findings suggest at least six consider-
ations to attract young students to ICT ca-
reers and post-secondary programs.
1. Speak and work directly with
students.
As industry and academic representatives
attempt to reach out to high-school stu-
dents, it is very important to be directly in
front of and communicating with students.
Obviously, teachers and guidance counsel-
lors will introduce industry speakers and
provide access to students, but clearly the
students will put more credence in messages
and presentations that come directly from
the primary source and are not interpreted
by others. This suggests that literature and
multimedia communication campaigns that
are delivered through the schools may be
less successful because students will dero-
gate messages delivered by teachers and
counsellors.
2. Emphasize to students the
earning potential and the
opportunities to pursue other
business careers from an ICT
foundation.
Students, and possibly their parents, see ICT
as a career that can pay well. As industry
and academia reaches out to students with
information sessions, the compensation po-
tential of an ICT career should be discussed.
Trends such as supply and demand in local
markets should be addressed. The issues
regarding offshore outsourcing should be
addressed honestly and openly, citing factual
statistics and responding to the one-off sto-
ries and fear-mongering about job-loss.
McInerney et al. (2006, p. 50) suggest that
there is “an information gap among students
and, no doubt, among potential IT students
about outsourcing and how it affects the job
market.”
The income potential for ICT should be com-
pared to other relevant careers such as en-
gineering, business, etc. Some of the mes-
sages may focus on how ICT is being used in
specific industries such as health-care,
transportation, financial services, law en-
forcement and other areas that may be of
interest to the students. Students may val-
ue seeing the end-use of ICT in business and
society, not just the technology components.
As the survey has suggested, students may
envision themselves using ICT skills as a
stepping-stone to further careers in business
or other fields. Examples of professionals
who have made the transition would be use-
ful to demonstrate to students how they
could follow a similar path.
3. Encourage math studies, but de-
emphasize the need for strong
math skills as a pre-requisite for
ICT careers.
Adequate math skills are required, but best–
in-class skills are not necessary, for business
oriented ICT careers. Math skill require-
ments are no different than those expected
for other business students. The students in
this survey are not computer scientists or
computer engineers, so this interpretation
will be more relevant to information systems
students. However, there is some concern
suggested by the gap between student ex-
perience and counsellor perceptions that
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ISEDJ 8 (26) Babin, Grant, and Sawal 10
strong math and science capabilities are re-
quired to be successful in all ICT-related
programs.
With an acknowledgment that computer
science and computer engineering still re-
quire strong math and science skills, there is
a growing recognition in business that an
equal or perhaps more important capability
is the student’s understanding of how tech-
nology supports business or organizational
processes. This capability requires a high
degree of emotional intelligence, interper-
sonal and communication skills, and an un-
derstanding of how business and organiza-
tions operate. As the SIM study found
(Zweig, 2006, p.48) found that industry re-
quirements are shifting to a need for client
communication and project management
skills, with declining emphasis on technology
solution development. An over-emphasis
on strong math and science skills may dis-
suade students, and perhaps many female
students, from following an ICT career
where their skills will be very valuable.
What may be important here is the need to
recognize the distinction between business
oriented ICT careers, which will have a
greater emphasis on communication and
inter-personal skills, and the more tradition-
al computer science and engineering careers
which will continue to require strong math
and science skills.
4. Female students should be
reassured of their ability to
succeed in ICT programs and
careers.
They should be made aware of the presence
of ICT career opportunities and of the so-
cietal issues surrounding women in ICT and
how to diminish those stereotypes. Singh et
al (2007) states that in their research,
“women rate their abilities lower and report
lower confidence than do men in computer-
related tasks, despite objective evidence of
equal or superior academic performance”.
Correspondingly, both male and female ITM
students reported having almost equal levels
of interest and capabilities in math and
sciences, with the female students reporting
a 10% advantage over males although the
male students had a better understanding of
the distinctions between computer science
and IT management.
With regards to professional abilities, Cathy
Gulli (2008) points out that “men prefer
working with tools or machines, so more of
them choose IT jobs, while women prefer
working with people”. The results of the
survey distributed to ITM students comple-
mented this observation; the variances in
the courses that males versus females took
in grades 11 and 12 displays the tendency of
females to take courses that involve more
communication and human interaction, while
males showed a preference for courses that
were more physical and/or technical. Also,
after observing the performance of females
and males in high-school computer science
classes, Crombie et al. (2001) comment that
female students showed more enthusiasm in
collaborative environments and in perfecting
the end-products of their work. In contrast,
“male students tended to work alone, as
quickly as possible, to obtain a piece of
software that ‘worked’”. This is a strong
indication that in order to reach out to po-
tential female ICT students, they must un-
derstand how to successfully capitalize on
their higher level of communication and in-
terpersonal abilities in order to determine
what careers they are best-suited for in the
ICT industry and that there are many career
choices in ICT that will fulfill their interests
in the more social and community aspects of
work.
5. Encourage students to take
business and social studies
courses in high school.
In recognition of the fact that the over-
whelming use of ICT and the resulting ICT
careers are in business-oriented organiza-
tions, students should have an understand-
ing of how their skills will work within the
larger organization. The students may fol-
low a career path that begins with ICT and
moves into different business disciplines or
organizational functions. Female students
in particular may find this helpful in realizing
the management opportunities in the ICT
industry. Again, this interpretation may be
appropriate for those students who will not
follow the computer science or computer
engineering paths.
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ISEDJ 8 (26) Babin, Grant, and Sawal 11
6. Communicate directly with
parents and students
emphasizing the career potential
and earning prospects in ICT.
Students have told us that parents have the
strongest external influence on their post-
secondary and career directions. Repre-
sentatives from industry and academia may
be challenged to reach busy parents to
speak about ICT careers for their children.
Community efforts, perhaps through cham-
bers of commerce or industry councils, may
be appropriate. Many professional organiza-
tions have already taken steps to reach out
to students through the school systems, but
we know of no such out-reach programs to
parents. Parents may have been over-
influenced by the negative stories of recent
years such as offshoring and dramatic
boom-and-bust employment in ICT. Again,
thoughtful and fact-based discussions tar-
geted at parents may influence students to
consider ICT programs and careers. The
survey results indicate that females are
most influenced by their parents, suggesting
that communicating directly with parents
would also aid in effectively attracting more
female students to the ICT industry.
6. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
ACTION
These study findings provide important di-
rection for anyone interested in reversing
the current trends and increasing participa-
tion of young people in ICT-related educa-
tion, especially to demonstrate to young
women that there are interesting and social
roles that can be played in an ICT career.
Teachers and guidance counsellors need to
rethink their roles in this field and recognize
that their role may be more of a conduit and
less of an influencer than they might have
thought in the past. To serve their students
best, they need to provide students with
more direct access to industry sources.
They need to reduce their emphasis on the
need for a strong interest and ability in math
for a career in ICT and recognize that a
broad background of courses including busi-
ness and social studies is just as relevant.
The ICT Industry and its related Higher Edu-
cation Programs must improve the ways in
which they communicate information about
career opportunities in ICT and make more
direct contact with students and their par-
ents to provide a realistic “sales pitch” about
careers in ICT with a clearer differentiation
between applied and business-focused ICT
and the more technical fields of computer
science and engineering. In particular, ICT
advocates should conduct career information
sessions specifically for parents at high-
schools and at university and college career
fairs.
Universities need to consider how well their
ICT degree offerings match the maker needs
of the industry and how well these degrees
are promoted to high school students. They
should consider more university/industry
partnerships in both curriculum and market-
ing, perhaps along the lines of the successful
ITMB program in the UK, which was set up
in 2006 to address some of these issues
(eSkills UK, 2008). These new communica-
tions must focus on realistic and clearly un-
derstandable career opportunities and earn-
ings potential, as well as the specific pro-
gram characteristics (such as placement
help and co-op or field experience) that stu-
dents find most attractive.
Exhibit 5 in the appendix summarizes the
tactics to be considered in encouraging high
school students to pursue ICT.
7. CONCLUSIONS
The paths to solving the current and future
shortage of ICT resources are many. One
clear approach is to encourage young people
to take up education and careers in this
well-paying and interesting profession.
However, to get the attention of high-school
students and to send messages that will be
heard, ICT advocates must speak directly
and factually with these young people and
their parents. Teachers and guidance coun-
sellors cannot fulfill this role alone. Hope-
fully with the right messages through the
appropriate channels and to the right stu-
dents, the interest and take-up of ICT pro-
grams and careers can increase to meet the
rising societal demands.
8. LIMITATIONS AND
IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE
RESEARCH
Some limitations may restrict the application
of these findings to all ICT-related programs
and careers. For example, the student res-
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ISEDJ 8 (26) Babin, Grant, and Sawal 12
pondents were ITM majors in a Bachelor of
Commerce program (information systems
oriented), not Computer Science or Engi-
neering programs. The requirement for
strong math skills would be more important
in those disciplines.
A second limitation is that this study did not
survey students who decided not to go into
ICT careers and it also did not survey high
school students directly. A follow-up re-
search project is now being planned to sur-
vey high school students directly.
A final limitation is the fact that respondent
students in this sample were enrolled at a
university program, across all four years.
Their limited reliance on parents, teachers
and counsellors, and the fact that these stu-
dents had already made a program and po-
tential career choice may reflect their matur-
ity relative to high school students.
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APPENDIX
Student decision
to apply, accept
and enroll in an
ICT program
Academic
performance
Personal
interests
Influencers
-Teachers
-Counsellors
-Family
-Peers
-Community
-Industry
Career Image
-Income
-Lifestyle
-Interesting work
-‘cool factor’
Attitudes
Subjective
Norms
Exhibit 1: A model regarding influencers on student decisions to enter post-secondary ICT
programs
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ISEDJ 8 (26) Babin, Grant, and Sawal 15
Survey question 1.0) Students should have strong in-
terests and capabilities in Math and Sciences
51.9
76.7
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
90
Agree/Strongly Agree (%)
Exhibit 2: Comparison of student and guidance counsellor perceptions regarding Math and
Sciences for ICT
Student Response
Counsellor Responses
Student Responses
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ISEDJ 8 (26) Babin, Grant, and Sawal 16
4.0) The following factors most influence a student’s choice to
pursue ICT-related programs at university or college:
0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00
4.1) Career interest
4.2) Personal interest
4.3) Academic performance (grades)
4.4) Parents
4.5) Teachers
4.6) Guidance counsellors
4.7) Friends at high school, college or university
4.8) Reputation of the college or university
4.9) Reputation of the program
4.10) Location of the college or university
4.11) Career focus of the program (e.g. placements, co-op
opportunities)
Average Rating
Students Guidance Counselors
Exhibit 3: Factors that influence student’s choice to pursue ICT programs
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ISEDJ 8 (26) Babin, Grant, and Sawal 17
Survey Question 2) Did anyone assist you in making a decision about your post sec-
ondary education?
Exhibit 4: Responses from 1248 Business Management and 87 IT Management, first year stu-
dents, 2007-08.
Percent
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ISEDJ 8 (26) Babin, Grant, and Sawal 18
E
NCOURAGEMENT
T
ACTIC
A
CTORS
C
RITICAL
P
OINTS
1) Communicate directly with students. Industry Representa-
tives
Students will play-down messages deli-
vered by teachers and counsellors.
2) Emphasize facts with regards to earning potential
and other business career opportunities.
Industry Representa-
tives, Teachers,
Guidance Counsel-
lors
Important topics:
• Demand and supply issues
• How ICT is used in business
• Outsourcing and offshoring
3) Don’t over-emphasize math and science as pre-
requisites to pursue ICT as a program and career.
Teachers, Guidance
Counsellors
Skills needed for success in ICT:
• Interpersonal skills
• Business and project management
skills
• Understanding of how technology
supports business
4) Educate females on the career opportunities that
require interests and abilities that they have.
Industry Representa-
tives, Teachers,
Guidance Counsel-
lors
Non-tech skills:
• Communication skills
• Emotional intelligence
• Interpersonal skills
• Paying attention to details
Possible ICT career paths:
• Consultation
• Project management
5) Encourage students to take business courses since
ICT is used extensively in business-oriented organiza-
tions.
Teachers, Guidance
Counsellors
ICT careers can be used as a means of
moving into different business disciplines or
organizational functions.
Use real-life examples of this happening in
the ICT industry.
6) Reach out to the greatest external influence on stu-
dents: their parents.
Industry Representa-
tives
Negative perceptions of parents about the
ICT industry can be reflected in the career
decisions of their children.
Exhibit 5: Tactics to Encourage High School Students to Consider ICT
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