State Development Minister Alan Carpenter has targeted growth in local capacity, the development of export markets, and investment as the key areas facing the state’s information communications technology (ICT) industry.
State Development Minister Alan Carpenter has targeted growth in local capacity, the development of export markets, and investment as the key areas facing the state’s information communications technology (ICT) industry.
“While it has been easy to agree that ICT has a central role in economic and social development, it has long proved less easy to reach a consensus as to how we collectively work together to grow the industry,” Mr Carpenter told a recent WA ICT Industry Collaboration Centre (ICTICC) function.
He said building local capacity would be achieved by focusing on raising the skills and capabilities of workers and companies.
From July, the Government will allocate $1 million a year for four years to start up-companies and mature existing companies.
“It is aimed at getting products and services to the investor-ready stage,” Mr Carpenter said.
“This is a major consideration for companies with ideas but which find it difficult to sustain their commercial ventures.”
A second program will allocate $250,000 a year to assist emerging companies get ready for market.
Mr Carpenter said the capacity building initiatives would help to raise the competitiveness of the ICT sector and other technology driven industries.
“Once capabilities and competitiveness are improved to the point of being internationally competitive, then we can seriously look at boosting exports of ICT goods and services,” he said.
“A couple of initiatives are taking place to grow export markets. One project is the Resources Supply Chain Penetration, which looks to build on WA’s resources sector, selling more ICT goods and services to international companies and then building on that success to engage in international supply chains.
“If we can leverage our prominent position in the global resources sector, the ICT sector may be able to replicate some of the success.”
Mr Carpenter said he was keen to promote export efforts through supporting local ICT companies to go on trade missions overseas.
He said six companies went on a recent mission to China – one of five ICT export missions planned for 2005, including the ANZAtech mission to the US in November.
“The state’s approach to export missions is changing. The focus is now on doing more groundwork with companies seeking to enter export markets before they go on a mission and placing a great emphasis on market intelligence,” Mr Carpenter said.
The WA ICT Industries Collaboration Centre (ICTICC) is a new partnership between the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), several associations and the WA Department of Industry and Resources. ICTICC’s function is to provide advice, guidance and support to the WA Government through its member organisations.
The formal agreement was signed at the opening of the WA Innovation Centre in Technology Park in November 2004, where the ICTICC is located.
