An Industry Training and Advisory Board might be an idea, but for what purpose? In many cases, ITAB's become problematic, and they must be carefully chaired, especially in this fraternity's case, where such wide diversity is a prescient factor.
It should include representatives from all aspects of our industry, the big companies, the small businesses, the individuals, trainers, academics and recruiters and most of all, the people at the coalface. It should not be driving an agenda of an individual, corporate or governmental organisation. It should consider every point of view equally.
It should be managed as a benign dictatorship, provided with and adhering to strict terms of reference from the technical communication fraternity.
The ITAB should be viewing all accreditation issues to be critical and vitally important to the future of technical communication in Australia. It must be passionate about solving accreditation.
I cannot be convinced that all the industry stakeholders required by an ITAB's terms of reference will be agenda free.
We want to use accreditation to protect our reputation, work availability, raise and promote our prestige; in other words, create a sense of elitism. Undeniably we want to increase our incomes. We then, should be driving the establishment of an ITAB outcome that provides us with a means of maximising our interests.
Corporations employing technical communicators don't necessarily see technical communication as a means of adding value, rather, it is usually seen as an encumbrance, a cost necessary to meet contractual obligations, and therefore, should be as cheap and as quick as possible. It is in their interest to drive an ITAB outcome reducing eligibility to be accredited down to a minimal qualification.
Recruitment agents, generally, want candidates that provide trouble free, simple and easy placement, while making them money for nothing. It is in their interest to make it formulaic, easily repeatable and of course, handled through them.
ITAB's ultimately, are meant to provide a series of outcomes based around assessment, education or training and these are based on an industry/corporate criteria. This surely then, cannot assist us, because industry/corporations largely do not value our skill sets.
Private Industry Training Providers