CIOForumSA

Chief Executive Officer

Software Skills in a Knowledge Economy Software skills are the foundation to a knowledge intensive economy. More and more IT professionals are trying to get away with less technical skills only to find they are unable to produce or be able to operate at a higher level of system thinking. While people skills are as essential, the lack of technical skills is increasingly becoming a problem. Industry Needs to Define the Entry Level Requirements It is our belief that all Information Technology professionals should build their foundation through learning technical skills. Software programming and software skills are essential to establishing a competitive society of highly skilled technology professionals. Interns need to build up their portfolio of project work. Industry needs to define their requirements at the entry level and ensure that software skills remains a focus. Industry Must Address the Gap Academics are debating issues like certification as if it is their responsibility to create the professional. The ongoing debates about methodologies and which approach is best is irrelevant. The reason why there is no alignment between academia and industry is because industry and the profession have not created an entry exam or requirement for proven experience that defines a professional. The absence of this means that there is no standard or benchmark that university and FTE colleges are expected to work towards. If a university program consistently produced potential doctors, accountants, architects, engineers and lawyers that failed their professional entry exams, would they not be forced to re-evaluate their program? But for IT professionals there is no such entry exam or entry point. A Program and Framework for Creating Software and IT Professionals The focus of the CIO Academy is not on creating more people who are trained to be unemployed. Our approach is on creating opportunities to fail, to gain experience, to work on projects and to build scalable enterprises that can generate more work opportunities. Our aim is not to measure how many have been trained but to ensure that we retain the invest in training by helping to guide aspiring professionals through their first 3 years entry into the market. We do this by working with the right partners who understand what it takes to create the pathways for unemployed youths from poorer communities to rise out of poverty.

The CIO Forum strategically focuses on the development of the Information Communication and Technology (ICT) sector, the Software Industry and Information Technology (IT) Profession. Sustainable Growth and Development of Industry, Commerce and Enterprise; Social Upliftment through Opportunity and Social Innovation; Industry and Academic Collaboration in Applied Research and Development; Development of Human Capital through Qualification, Experience, Skills and Professionals; Information and Technology to Support All Levels of Education; Knowledge Intensive ICT Policy Formulation, Implementation and Monitoring and Evaluation.

CIO Forum (Academic) Vision Statement As an African social enterprise, the CIO Forum works towards an information technology enabled Africa characterised by thought leadership in information technology, sustainable IT policies, human capital, technical skills, work opportunities and a vibrant and growing industry of innovation. The CIO Forum contributes to this vision by: Engaging stakeholders in conversation through forums and events; Managing and supporting outcomes based programs involving research, skills development and capacity building; Collaborating with partners; Facilitating and supporting policy formulation; Monitoring and evaluating policy implementation through research; Reporting to stakeholders; Networking on national, regional and international levels.

Chief Operating Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Chief Marketing Officer

Chief Technical Officer

Chief Information Officer

Software Week - Building Human Capital and a Skilled Society The Agenda is about people and human intellectual capital & skills that enable the growth of industry & commerce in a knowledge economy. Cape Town is the quintessential melting pot: it is a city alive with creativity, colour, sounds and tastes. While walking through the city streets and meeting its people, you will fall in love with its natural beauty, creative freedom and incredible spirit. Cape Town is a city where the unexpected is always just around the corner and the beautiful province of the Western Cape lies ready to be explored across the city border. Our central venue is the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). The CTICC is so much more than just another convention centre. Annual Event The Software Week is being launched in 2012 as an annual event to promote and draw attention to the software industry in Cape Town and the broader South African and African region. The week is made up of various events and activities. There will be a 5 Day Exhibition to which the general public are welcome. Visit exhibition stands that showcase international and local software solutions. The exhibition is intended for businesses, aspiring software professionals, students and the general public who wish to find out more about the software industry. The launching of the local Software Industry Awards at the Gala Awards Dinner will acknowledge and celebrate achievements in the software industry. These achievements include long standing works of organizations and professionals who have contributed to making the software industry what it is today. Training Seminars and courses will be organized and information will be made available to those seeking to develop their skills. Our focus will not only be on software programming but also associated skills such as business analysis, testing, technical writing, change management and related knowledge domains and specializations in software development. The aim of the training program will be to encourage the development of technical software skills and innovation. The 3 Day Conference will be focusing on issues relevant to the software industry and will include the main program and breakaway sessions. There will be round table discussions and workshops. The conference, exhibition and gala dinner will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. During the Software Week we will be organizing Tours of Cape Town and the surrounding areas of the Western Cape. There will be special tours to showcase why the region is becoming a software development hub. This will be of specific interest to companies looking to leverage the region's capacity in software development. Leading up to the Software Week a number of Forum Workshops will be hosted in various venues and published on this website. An online community forum will also be launched to enable more people to participate. The aim of the forum workshops and communities is to help develop an ongoing conversation of the agenda items dealt with at the Software Week and to encourage wider participation from all stakeholders. Associated Activities will include competitions, entertainment, hackathons and more. We encourage participation and collaboration and welcome the involvement of any organization or individual who is passionate about the software industry. More information will be made available on the associated activities being planned and we welcome participation from organizations, companies and individuals seeking to host associated events or activities. www.softwareweek.co.za

Building human capital and a skilled society - Get involved and set a world record!!! During the Software Week from the 13th to the 19th of October 2012, we will be attempting to set a World Record for the number of people trained, mentored and certified in a software skill in one week. We are offering 100 free seats to the 3 Day Software Week conference from the 15th to the 17th October at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) to SiliconCape members who are willing to allocate at least 4 hours of their time to mentor aspiring software professionals. We will be establishing centres around Cape Town and surrounding areas in the Western Cape to offer FREE software programming and skills training, mentoring and certification. If you are a software programmer or have a related software skill such as design and are prepared to spend a few hours of your time to help others, this is an opportunity to be part of a revolution and movement that could stimulate education, develop skills, help create job opportunities to grow our economy. What Are The Benefits? One third of our population are youths and more than half of them are unemployed. There is a growing and continuing demand for software skills and opportunities for entrepreneurs with the advent of internet and mobile technologies. Software programming stimulates structured thinking and can be taught as a language to help introduce and understand more complex abstract concepts such those in Maths and Science. Harsh economic conditions have made it difficult for individuals and companies to allocate funds. But you can make a difference with the most precious gift you can give - your time, skills and experience. While there is a need to develop infrastructure, the greatest need lies in human capital development. We simply do not have enough people engaged and able to pass on necessary skills. We are not only aiming for a world record but a transformation. We hope this initiative will inspire people and companies. We plan on creating a register of all those who participated. These will include those who have gained a software skill for the first time as well as those that are experienced but needing work. Software Programming and Software Skills Sought We are looking for individuals who have software related skills on just about any software programming language and platform. We are currently planning this activity with industry partners like Microsoft and Oracle as well as Open Source partners and trainers. This includes training in web and mobile and we welcome anyone with knowledge of HTML and Javascript, Java, .NET, PHP, Ruby on Rails, Python, etc. and SQL and database programming. If you want to get involved but do not have software programming skills and can offer other related skills such as guidance and mentoring on design or analysis or any other related area, let us know. We will register everyone participating and those that have received training or mentorship. We will provide online tests for the relevant training. We will issue special Software Week certificates for the skills gained. We will provide further information on education and career opportunities. We will publish our results and all registered skills to potential employers and companies which includes new skills created and more junior to senior software professionals. How Can I/We Get Involved? There are various ways you or your company or organisation can assist us. We are looking for people and companies or organisations ... like software programmers and those with software skills to assist with training or mentoring that can provide a computer facility or centre who can help with marketing and communication who can assist with certification like auditing firms that can assist with auditing that can help us with publishing and print which could include advertising that can provide sponsorship that have other contributions or suggestions

Software - Building Human Capital and a Skilled Society Software Week is being launched in 2012 as an annual event to promote and draw attention to the software industry in Cape Town and the broader South African and African region. The week is made up of various events and activities. Check out what is in store. There will be a 5 Day Exhibition to which the general public are welcome. Visit exhibition stands that showcase international and local software solutions. The exhibition is intended for businesses, aspiring software professionals, students and the general public who wish to find out more about the software industry. The launching of the local Software Industry Awards at the Gala Awards Dinner will acknowledge and celebrate achievements in the software industry. These achievements include long standing works of organizations and professionals who have contributed to making the software industry what it is today. Training Seminars and courses will be organized and information will be made available to those seeking to develop their skills. Our focus will not only be on software programming but also associated skills such as business analysis, testing, technical writing, change management and related knowledge domains and specializations in software development. The aim of the training program will be to encourage the development of technical software skills and innovation. The 3 Day Conference will be focusing on issues relevant to the software industry and will include the main program and breakaway sessions. There will be round table discussions and workshops. The conference, exhibition and gala dinner will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. During the Software Week we will be organizing Tours of Cape Town and the surrounding areas of the Western Cape. There will be special tours to showcase why the region is becoming a software development hub. This will be of specific interest to companies looking to leverage the region's capacity in software development. Leading up to the Software Week a number of Forum Workshops will be hosted in various venues and published on this website. An online community forum will also be launched to enable more people to participate. The aim of the forum workshops and communities is to help develop an ongoing conversation of the agenda items dealt with at the Software Week and to encourage wider participation from all stakeholders. Associated Activities will include competitions, entertainment, hackathons and more. We encourage participation and collaboration and welcome the involvement of any organization or individual who is passionate about the software industry. More information will be made available on the associated activities being planned and we welcome participation from organizations, companies and individuals seeking to host associated events or activities.