IT sector leader plans skills shake-up

Douglas White

Douglas White says his mission is simple - he wants the New Zealand Computer Society to get off its bum and do something.

Since becoming the society's chief executive in April, White has promoted the goal of setting up a system of IT professional certificates.

Before his appointment, "The society was not perceived as being professional, the same way that doctors or lawyers or accountants were," he says.

No professional qualifications were necessary to become full society members, while graduates could join right out of school.

While not wanting to upset past and present members, White believes it is his outspoken manner that landed him the top society job.

"The computer society is seen as a bit of a lame duck, a policeman without teeth," he says. "It doesn't do a lot."

"I joined with the view that the society was in a state of flux in that its membership had been quite static for a long time," he says. "There needed to be a real jumpstart to get it going again."

White, 58, has racked up an impressive CV in technology. For 20 years, he ran IT recruitment firms Wilson White Associates and Medstaff. Both were sold to multinationals in 2001.

Before that, he spent 10 years in system development and management. He is at present a director with Adroit Recruitment, and chairman of software developer XSol. He has been a member of the society since 1970.

White is proposing a two-year mentoring system where IT graduates sign up with a sponsor who will monitor their professional development. The applicants won't be judged on their technical knowledge, but rather will go through a "box-ticking process" where factors such as professionalism, communication ability and reliability will be measured.

The end result will boost the industry as a whole, White says. Companies will have a higher degree of faith in the employees they are hiring if they have been rubber stamped with NZCS certification.

The NZCS is in the middle of lining up support for the plan, and White says Government and industry have both been very supportive.

"The employers, the major users of it, are all behind it. They see benefit in there being a unifying body out there," he says. "It's a real buy-in by industry in general."

White hopes the same firms that support the idea will be willing to bankroll it. He also intends to put a finished plan to the Government in a few months and have it implemented by next year.

* Favourite gadget: "If I lost my PDA, I'd be lost."
* Next big thing in tech: "Integration of computing in the home. One day you'll come home to your fridge and say,'Whoops, there's no butter. Order some butter."'
* Alternate career: "I'd probably be paddling to Rangitoto [Island] and taking a few people up the mountain in a kayak at night. I actually do it, and if I get fired from this job at least I have something to fall back on."
* Spare time: I'm a car enthusiast. I own a Model T."
* Favourite sci-fi movie or book: "More of a science book - I'm reading Big Bang by Simon Singh. A very readable history of the world. I only wish that I had read it when I was in the sixth form."