The Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) has released a report to assess the need for information and communication technology skills within government departments.

The report, titled Meeting the Demand for ICT Skills in the Australian Public Service - Today and for the Future, was produced by the government's ICT Professional and Skills Development Taskforce to gain an understanding of the shortage of ICT skills in the public service.

Launched today by Special Minister of State Gary Nairn, the report provides a set of recommendations in the areas of transportability of security clearances, whole-of-government panels for recruitment and project management accreditation, migrant and offshore resources, ICT awareness among senior executives, mentoring, apprenticeships, and working with the education sectors.

"Implementation of the recommendations will assist the government to alleviate the current ICT skills shortage, and thereby improve the attraction, recruitment and retention rates of professional ICT employees in the [public service]," Nairn said.

"Proposals to address the report's recommendations are being developed and it is expected that these will be implemented progressively over the next 18 months."

Other federal government initiatives to address the ICT skills shortage include an ICT apprenticeship program which is being extended to include a fresh intake of apprentices in 2008, the Women in IT Executive Mentoring program, and marketing ICT as a career choice to secondary and tertiary students at industry events.

The report is available at www.agimo.gov.au.