ICT Career Prospects and Volunteering

This assignment delves into the promising career opportunities within the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, highlighting its high employability rate and competitive salaries. It further explores the potential for applying ICT skills to humanitarian aid through volunteer work with the Red Cross, specifically focusing on developing a Blood Donor App. The assignment emphasizes aligning job search strategies with employee needs and qualifications to secure desired positions in global IT companies.

1Developing a career strategy
Running head: DEVELOPING A CAREER STRATEGY
Developing a career strategy within the next five years
Name:
Course:

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Abstract
This report is concerned with the future of employment within the next five years, my dream job
and the required skills and training necessary to get the job. The possibility to work in a
volunteering activity and how it could lead me to get a paid job. Finally, it focuses on my
strategy of getting the required job through different methods of research.

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Table of contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Part 1: Examination of the job market.............................................................................................4
Part 2: Examination of a paid occupation........................................................................................6
Part 3: Examination of an unpaid occupation..................................................................................9
Part 4: Examination of recruitment................................................................................................11
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................13
References......................................................................................................................................15

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Introduction
In the meantime, the global employment gap is projected to be closed by 2019 if 280 Mn.
jobs were created. Although, it is expected that the employment will deteriorate over the coming
five years. The global economic conditions affect the labor market and especially young women
are the most affected by the unemployment (International Labor Organization, 2015).
Also, changes in the business models are expected to affect the employment over the
coming five years, including job creation, displacement and widening skills gaps. The most
demanded jobs did not exist for five years ago, and it is expected that after five years from now,
new jobs will be created. It is important to individuals, business and governments understand the
future of employment, the required skills and recruitment patterns in various industries and world
countries to be able to adjust their behavior and get ready to the changes (World Economic
Forum, 2016).
This next section of this report focuses on my ability to identify my skills and capabilities
concerning the changing employment conditions within the next five years, through the
development of a career action plan. Also, it discusses the relationships of paid and unpaid
organizations impact on developing my skills from one side and on the economy and the society
from the other side. Finally, it introduces my strategy of getting hired with the targeted
companies concerning the changing environment conditions.
Part 1: Examination of the job market
1.1Identification of five predicted career trends for the next five years:

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The healthcare, teaching, technical occupation, information technology and
administration are considered the fastest employment growth jobs in the next five years (Bureau
of labor statistics, 2015).
1.2The careers increasing and decreasing in general
High growth, high wage and high skilled labor are expected to gain the biggest number of
jobs in 2020, this category includes, teaching, medical, information technology and professional.
Accordingly, the service sector has the high potential of employing most of the workforce. Jobs
with high-growth potential, including, building inspector, plumber, loan agent, construction
supervisor and electrician with require only low skills employees (Anderson & Gantz, 2013).
The overall social skills and collaboration will be highly demanded among industries,
including, teaching, emotional intelligence and persuasion, at the expense of low technical skills,
including, programming, equipment operation and control (World Economic Forum, 2016).
It is expected that the service sector, particularly, the private sector, will employ about
one third of the workforce during the coming five years. The public service sector jobs,
including, education, health care and administration will also increase. The high-skilled
employees are expected to join the service sector (International Labor Organization, 2015).
The industrial employment sector will continue to lose jobs in the coming five years,
especially, the manufacturing industries, but the construction employment will continue to
increase. Accordingly, the industrial employment will contribute by less than 22%, which are
mainly driven by the construction employment (International Labor Organization, 2015).

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It is also predicted they 7.1 Mn. jobs will be lost between 2015-2020, most of them are
white collar office jobs, the rest of them are in the computer, engineering, mathematical and
architecture related functions (World Economic Forum, 2016).
1.3 Discussion of the expected trends in this area and comment on what is driving those trends
According to Aon Hewitt (2015), the expected trends during the next five years and their
drivers are as follows:
 The global employee engagement are expected to increase gradually with variations
among different regions and labor markets.
 The rate of economic growth will impact the level of employee engagement.
 The overall experienced workforce is expected to deteriorate, specifically their
accomplishment and autonomy, which results in high turnover.
 Companies will continue to provide career growth opportunities for their employees and
other satisfying factors to recruit and retain the best talents.
 Senior leaders will continue to be considered as an organization's valuable asset which
positively impact the organization.
 Employees' engagement, organizational culture and powerful leadership are considered
the main value creator for the successful business.
Part 2: Examination of a paid occupation
2.1 The career that might of interest in the current job market
The career in information technology is considered among the growing employment in the
next five years. Information technology is the technology used to process data. The

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applications of information technology are widely used by individuals and organizations
(Deb, 2014).
2.2 A brief description of my dream career and types of jobs could be done within this career
The information technology industry consists of four main subindustries, including,
programming services, systems design services, facilities management services, and other
services. The programming services and systems design services represent about 90% of IT
employment services. My dream career is to be system design services engineer, who can plan
and design the computer systems which integrate the software with the hardware and in the same
time lower its impact on the environment, which is called the green ICT (U.S. bureau of labor
statistics , 2013).
According to OECD (2012), the software engineers are highly demanded across industries
and countries.
2.3 Kind of activities and tasks that could be done
The green ICT is emerging and has its related jobs and tasks. My career will focus on the
smart ICT applications which improves the environmental performance. The virtualization
industry, is a specific activity of the smart ICT applications, which includes, efficient data
processing, developing software applications instead of physical computers and virtualization of
different physical services into one software application to save energy consumption and costs.
This job is considered a new job which has a growing employment future (OECD, 2012).
2.4 Training and education required to apply for this career

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The IT education is essential to obtain the main required skills of the target career of the
system design services engineer. IT education could be provided in higher education to help in
achieving the individual's career goals and the government goals of creating the information
society. The IT education should be followed by vocational and on the job training. This kind of
training focuses on the development of specific skills required to do the job tasks effectively. My
dream career required training for professionals or advanced training program (OECD, 2012).
2.5 Likely incomes for graduate and its potential increase by experience
The ICT graduates have high potential to be employed, also their salary is likely to be
high. Many IT related vacancies are available, but there is a lack in the job applicants, this
phenomenon is expected to continue in the coming five years. Salary of ICT related jobs may
vary from industry to another and from country to another and it is expected to grow as the
employee continues to develop his skills and learn about the new advances in technology to
respond to the industry changes and development in new technology (Graduate careers Australia,
2010).
2.6 The ways the skills of the job could lead to other jobs and careers
Being a system design services engineer having the skills required to fulfill the
organization and customer needs, could lead me to be an expert in the smart ICT applications of
developing virtualization applications. The universities' academic programs are developed to
meet the growing needs of green technology specialists. Focusing on smart system applications,
communication systems, and services engineering will enable me to adapt to the changing needs
of the industry (OECD, 2012).
2.7 ICT impact on the society

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The ICT industry has a great impact on the society, as it could revolutionize the societal
learning, e-learning and knowledge. It could offset the lack of skills in a society by outsourcing
the skills depending on telecommuting employees. It offered the business products and services
from different places in the globe through the e-commerce. People are allowed to travel virtually
to other places and meet other people through technology applications, for example, meeting
new people through social media channels, joining different interest groups and sharing
knowledge with them (Deb, 2014).
2.8 ICT impact on the economy
The ICT will remain the main driver of growth and innovation through the global
economy. ICT creates a high rate of job paying. For example, the ICT related jobs' workers
earned 78.6 thousand $ per year, 74% more compared to the average worker earning in
2011(Atkinson & Stewart, 2013).
Part 3: Examination of an unpaid occupation
3.1Brief description of the volunteering organization and the job expected to be done
The international Red Cross continues to serve millions of people in the time of their
greatest need. The employees, donors and volunteers provide support of humanitarian services to
people around the world, including wildfires, floods, hurricanes and many more crises. The
organization also provides training for people to be ready to prevent crises or deal with their
effects. Also, they provide blood to patients and prevent make initiatives to prevent disease (The
American National Red Cross, 2017).
3.2Kind of activities and tasks to be undertaken during this job

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As a volunteer in the Red Cross, I can provide assistance to people in need, migrants and
refugees. Also, I can provide emotional support to help people in need in hard times. Data maps
enables me to provide volunteering aid to people in need by using information technology
applications (The American National Red Cross, 2017).
3.3The main attractions in this area of volunteering
As technology is used by the Red Cross, a Blood Donor App needs to be continuously
developed to help people to donate with blood, I can use my experience to join in developing this
app beside of making other volunteering activities (The American National Red Cross, 2017).
The Red Cross First Aid app was launched in the U.S. since 2012, people need to be adapted to
using this app, as it contains information about lifesaving, since 2014, the app popularity has
increased and it is operating in more than 23 countries (The American National Red Cross,
2015).
3.4The training required to take this volunteering
The Red Cross provides the necessary training to its volunteers to ensure they can
professionally manage hard situations and provide the necessary aid to people in need. Courses
include, first aid training and training of health care to entry level (The American National Red
Cross, 2015).
3.5The potential of having a paid position in the volunteering area
There is a potential to use my experience in the volunteering work to gain a paid job, as a
mobile app developer in the healthcare services. Mobile technology use is increasing in
emergencies (Canadian Red Cross, 2012).

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3.6The usefulness of the skills by volunteering in getting a paid job
As smartphones are being increasingly used in managing disasters, to provide
information to people in need and to manage the relief activities. The Red Cross enables me to
gain necessary knowledge about developments needed in the mobile application concerning, cost
reduction of data integration, app customization and prototyping the app development. I can
utilize this knowledge to work with medical centers and hospitals who needs such apps to
provide information to patients and provide them with necessary aid (Li, Adebayo, Shih, &
Kagal, 2015).
3.7The Red Cross impact on the society
The learning programs offered by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent (IFRC) are accessible through mobile, desktop, tablet or any other device, which
increases the people's awareness, learning and their abilities to analyze data remotely
(International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2013).
3.8The Red Cross impact on the economy
This volunteering has a positive impact on the economy, as it provides necessary aid to
people in need. For example, the Philippine Red Cross used the mobile technology to transfer
money via SMS to people in crisis areas to get items they need for specified merchants in their
areas (The American National Red Cross, 2015).
Part 4: Examination of recruitment
4.1 Identification of five major recruitment competitors:
The five major recruitment competitors, include the following companies:

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 SEEK: SEEK helps people to find the required job and organizations to attract talents.
The SEEK group has a strong database of employment, volunteer activities and
education across various countries (SEEK, 2017).
 Adecco: Delivers the talents to organizations to keep competitive. Also, it provides
individuals with job opportunities, moreover, they are considered expert advisors to
the government (Addeco, 2017).
 Indeed: It has millions of jobs offered by thousands of websites. It provides careers,
newspapers, associations. Individuals are allowed to upload their resume to be shared
with employers (The Balance, 2017).
 Career builder: A job board that provides job listings, career advice, resume and
resources. It has partnerships with various newspapers to give them online access
(The Balance, 2017).
 Dice: A leading website for IT job seekers that provides different ways to job search.
Registered users can benefit from uploading their resume, get information about job
openings and salaries (The Balance, 2017).
4.2 The predicted trends for companies seeking to recruit new employees over the next five
years
The emerging of ICT and related activities accelerated market shifts, processes and
models. Companies tend to operate in the global market and attract employees from different
world countries. New skills are required and repositioning of employees' skills among all levels
of employment, including digital skills, agile thinking to adapt to multiple changes in the
environments, communication skills and global operating skills (Oxford Economics, 2012).
4.3 Strategy for gaining employment in the selected career

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4.3.1 Targeted companies for employment and ways to choose these companies and the
research needed to be done before getting the job
I am targeting the IT global operating companies. There are several methods to search for
vacancies in the targeted companies to find the appropriate job opportunity. Job search could be
done by individuals or by a recruitment agency, which are considered formal methods to get
hired. The informal methods include direct contact with the employer (Green, Hoyos, Li, &
Owen, 2011).
4.3.2 Three ways to get employed with the chosen companies
According to Green et. al (2011), there are different ways to reach the targeted companies
of interest, including:
• Searching adverts of vacancies in newspapers.
• Asking friends.
• Directly applying to employers.
4.3.3 The best recruitment option and the reason
Searching adverts of vacancies in newspapers, is considered the best way to find the
targeted job. It is considered the best way to get employed quickly if the job search behavior
could align the employee needs and qualifications with the job requirements (Green et. al, 2011).
Conclusion
The healthcare, teaching, technical occupation, information technology and
administration are considered the fastest employment growth jobs in the next five years, but the

14Developing a career strategy
industrial employment sector will continue to lose jobs in the coming five years, especially, the
manufacturing industries, but the construction employment will continue to increase.
The career of information technology is considered among the growing employment in the next
five years. My dream career is to be system design services engineer, who can plan and design
the computer systems which integrate the software with the hardware and at the same time lower
its impact on the environment, which is called the green ICT. The ICT graduates have high
potential to be employed, also their salary is likely to be high.
The international Red Cross continues to serve millions of people in the time of their greatest
need. As a volunteer in the Red Cross, I can provide assistance to people in need, migrants and
refugees. As technology is used by the Red Cross, a Blood Donor App needs to be continuously
developed to help people to donate with blood, I can use my experience to join in developing this
app beside of making other volunteering activities. There is a potential to use my experience in
the volunteering work to gain a paid job, as a mobile app developer in the healthcare services.
I am targeting the global operating companies in the field of IT. Searching adverts of vacancies
in newspapers, is considered the best way to find the targeted job. It is considered the best way to
get employed quickly if the job search behavior could align the employee needs and
qualifications with the job requirements.

15Developing a career strategy
References
Addeco. (2017). The Adecco Group at a Glance. Retrieved from Adecco:
www.adeccogroup.com
Anderson, C., & Gantz, J. (2013). Skills requirements for tommorow's best jobs helping
educators provide students with skills and tools they need. IDC.
Aon Hewitt. (2015). Trends in global employee engagement.
Atkinson, R., & Stewart, L. (2013). Jst the facts- The economic benefits of information and
communication technology. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
Bureau of labor statistics. (2015). Employment projection 2014-2024. USA.
Canadian Red Cross. (2012). Social media during emergencies.
Deb, S. (2014). Information technology, its impact on society and Its future. Advances in
Computing, 4(1), pp. 25-29.
Graduate careers Australia. (2010). Careers in information & communications technology.
Australia.
Green, A., Hoyos, M., Li, Y., & Owen, D. (2011). Job search study: Literature review and
analysis of the labour force survey. UK - Depertment of work and pension.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. (2013). World disaster report.
International Labor Organization. (2015). World employment social outlook.

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Li, W., Adebayo, J., Shih, F., & Kagal, L. (2015). Understanding the role of mobile technologies
for humanitarian. ISCRAM Conference.
OECD. (2012). ICT skills and employment - New competencies and jobs for a grener ans
smarter economy.
Oxford Economics. (2012). Global talent 2021.
SEEK. (2017). About us. Retrieved from SEEK: www.seek.com.au
The American National Red Cross. (2015). 2014 Annual report.
The American National Red Cross. (2017). 2016 Annual report .
The Balance. (2017). Top 10 best job websites. Retrieved from The Balance:
www.thebalance.com
U.S. bureau of labor statistics . (2013). Beyond the numbers.
World Economic Forum. (2016). The future of jobs- Employment, skills and workforce strategy
for the fourth industrial revolution.