December 1, 2009
4:07 am
by: Skills

About Skill Ecosystems

Skill ecosystem is a concept adapted from biology that is used in the business literature, and in Australia to guide a series of national workforce development projects . It refers to a self-sustaining concentration of workforce skills and knowledge in an industry or a region, for example the South Australian wine industry or the super funds management industry in Melbourne and Sydney.
The Idea

The term ‘skill ecosystem’ was coined by David Finegold to look at knowledge and skill creation in the cluster of computer and biomedical firms in Silicon Valley, California. Finegold argued that the following features explained the emergence and persistence of this high-skill ecosystem:

Skill Ecosystems

The post-war growth in US defence spending created a catalyst: education offered in local universities, which attracted top students from around the world, was the fuel.
Transport and telecommunications infrastructure, the regulatory regime and attractive lifestyle formed a supportive host environment.
Training alliances and other forms of cooperation were fostered by strong intermediary bodies, creating a high degree of interdependence.
These features, Finegold believed, created ‘turbulent, high skill environments’ which fostered innovation and regional economic growth.
The ecosystem metaphor is used in business literature to emphasise the interdependencies between organisations, individuals and institutions that generate expansion, innovation or export growth.


In Australia

In Australia, we are using the concept to explore the economic and social factors shaping low and intermediate skill clusters, as well as high skill ones.

The NSW Board of Vocational Education and Training started off this thinking at the end of the 1990s by funding research described in Beyond flexibility: skills and work in the future.The report’s authors argued that:

Skill formation is not, and can never be, a stand alone issue.
The nature of a particular skill ecosystem is shaped by many things.

  • business strategy – key products and services, target markets
  • business environment – competitive pressures, inter-firm relationships, access to finance
  • government support and the regulatory framework
  • capital investment and the technology in use
  • employment relations and the operation of labour markets
  • work organisation and job design
  • the capacity of education and training and its ability to meet industry’s and workers’ needs.

Each skill ecosystem is unique and reflects the interaction of these factors. Skill ecosystem projects aim to make changes where necessary to create healthy and productive industries where people’s skills are valued and promoted.

Posted in Skill Ecosystems

October 1, 2009
4:17 am
by: Skills

About The National Program

The skill ecosystem national program is a joint state-federal program that develops and tests a new and dynamic framework for skills policy.
It supports partnership projects between trainers and industry that focus on improving workforce capacity and the use of skills at work. As well as education and training development needs, the projects address aspects of the workplace and industry environment that influence the development, application and replenishment of skills.

Funded projects involve multi-faceted interventions that may involve changes to work organisation, employment arrangements and business strategy as well as training design and delivery. In other words, projects seek to reinforce and sustain the whole ‘skill ecosystem’ – not just training.

This website and a range of other communication media and activities support the skill ecosystem project.

Three conferences have stimulated debate about workforce development, workplace learning and innovation and have showcased skill ecosystem projects.

The first phase of the project (2003 to 2006) involved:

a suite of nine national demonstration projects
information and online VET discussions forum
a professional learning strategy and the development of a community of practice
sustainability planning for the funded projects in partnership with state/territory and the federal governments
supporting state and territory innovation plans.
An evaluation of the projects funded during this phase led to a revised approach.
Changes were made to project funding criteria, project structure and to the central support provided to project teams. A National Advisory Commitee was set up to evaluate and advise projects and reflect on their policy implications.

In 2007 and 2008, the NSW Department of Education and Training developed new tools and resources about skill ecosystem and delivered a series of presentations about the approach. The aim was to summarise the lessons leanred from skill ecosystem projects and provide a clear methodology for doing skill ecosystem work.

Posted in Skill Ecosystems

December 11, 2011
2:57 am
by: Skills

How do Payday Loans Work? Do I Earn Enough?

You may be wondering how much income you need to qualify for an instant payday loan. There is no exact amounts but most lenders will require you to have at least $1000 in monthly income, and you need to prove that your source if income is consistent. How much you earn will also limit how much they will be prepared to loan you – people on lower monthly income may only be able to borrow $250-500. There are no hard and fast rules across the industry and one lender may offer completely different limits to another. So if you get denied at one place it may be worth your time to try another as they may have different criteria for who they lend money to and what they require of the person borrowing the money.

payday loans online

A way to get cash fast...

The simplest way to get a quick loan is to apply for payday loans online, usually you visit the website and fill out a form which takes about 10-15 minutes on most sites. Payday loan stores can take longer especially if you have get there just to wait in line for even longer. Either way, you provide information like proof of income, your checking account information, your Social Security number and your driver’s license number, among other things. You’ll be approved or denied the loan usually before you leave the store, or within just a few minutes if you applied online. If you applied online, the money will automatically be deposited into your checking account.How much do you need to make for a fast payday loan? They really only want to make sure you make enough so that you’re able to pay them back. As long as you do, approval is fast.

Of course, depending on the store’s policy you may need to pay the loan back in full after your next paycheck. So how much do you need to make for  fast payday loans? If you’re using a store that has this policy, they want to make sure that your next paycheck will be able to cover the repayment and then some. In this case, the payday loan they offer you will be far less than the amount of your next paycheck. Of course, some payday loan stores will extend the terms of your loan up to six months. But that means you’ll be paying back several times what you borrowed due to the high interest rates.

 

In order to manage the process successfully, how much do you need to make for a fast payday loan? While this varies from store to store you should make sure you really do make enough to be able to pay the loan back as fast as possible. If you borrow $200 and pay it back in two weeks or sooner on your next payday, you could pay an extra $30-$60 for that short amount of time. If the loan goes on longer than two weeks, the interest compounds and you can end up paying back hundreds more than you borrowed.

Posted in Money Matters

December 8, 2011
4:11 am
by: Skills

Should I Use Credit For My Son’s Education or Save?

Free credit reports

Unfortunately mine was not great...

I shocked myself yesterday when I figured out how much money my son has. Who knew I was feeding and clothing a little tycoon? Technically, of course, the 529s are not his money.

Maybe he won’t need that 529 money. He could:
not go to college at all
be so talented, smart and lucky that he gets a full tuition scholarship
have a parent who manages to land a university job with tuition remission at a school that’s right for him
become a child star (except that his mother would never be willing to sit through all those rehearsals or deal with his little ego)
inherit a hell of a lot more than expected

If he doesn’t need it, there will be a big battle in my own mind while I decide whether to take the 10% penalty and reclassify all that money as retirement savings, or whether to transfer the accounts so I’m the new beneficiary and go get that impractical MFA I’ve always wanted.

But it’s more likely that he will go to college, and that he or somebody who loves him will have to pay for it. According to JLP’s super coolCollege Tuition Estimator, his current nest egg of $8222 will be worth just under $21,000 when L goes to college if we don’t add to it and if it grows at a rate of 6%. That might be enough to pay for most of one year at a state school. If we’re talking about a liberal arts education, well, little L is going to have to borrow some serious money.

For a while now, I’ve had the loose goal in mind of trying to save enough for about half L’s college tuition by the time he starts school. So it looks like I’m not doing too badly.

After tinkering with JLP’s calculator, I’ve figured out that we’d need to save an impossible $600/month, starting right now, to pay for four years of a liberal arts school’s projected cost in 2021. But we’d only have to save $200/month to pay for four years at a more modest public university. I recently ran a free credit report on myself to see how much I could borrow if that was what was required, but the results were not pretty. Need to concentrate on fixing that asap.

If we’re only trying to save enough for HALF of his education, the number drops to $100/month. We’re saving $75 right now. That’s not out of the ballpark, especially when I remind myself that those little gifts from the grandparents, $100 here, $50 there, will probably continue to roll in. So $75/month is actually a fairly adequate amount to be saving for college, and I can just RELAX already.

Which leaves me free to put all my energy where it belongs: on ramping up our retirement savings.

Technically I shouldn’t even be saving as much as $75/month for college. If I have a spare $75 in my budget, it should go straight to our retirement accounts, because we’re just a little bit behind. But I set up the autodeposits to our college accounts to avoid annual fees, and I must say, I’m glad to have that as an excuse to save at least a little bit for college.

I’m glad to see that we’re at least on track to pay for two years at a state school. And if he wants to go to NYU or some other expensive school, well, then I’ll just have a serious talk with him to make sure he understands the implications of taking on all those loans.

Posted in Money Matters

December 2, 2011
2:17 am
by: Skills

Solar energy – its free and clean!

Well Winter is nearly here in my part of the world and the cold weather is on its way. That means it will be time to turn on the ol’ furnace again and start heating the house. Wouldn’t it be great if you could use your furnace less, resulting in lower emissions and cost? Well read on to find out how we can use energy from the some to be more environmentally aware…

how to make solar panels at home cheaplyIf you’ve ever sat on the bus or in a car without air conditioning, you know that when the sun is beating down on you through the window, it can get pretty darn hot! This same principle can be applied to your house. By keeping your curtains and blinds open during the day, you’re allowing the sun to naturally heat your house. This is such a simple concept, but can save you energy and money.
Some high-tech buildings are using similar practices to harness both heat energy and light energy from the sun. By keeping your windows open during the day, you also won’t need to turn on as many lights. Plus, natural light is better for your body as it helps your circadian rhythms (important in determining the sleeping, feeding, and cellular regeneration patterns of all animals, including human beings).

There is just one more thing to note: this method of energy conservation works in reverse when the sun is not out. Windows generally aren’t the best insulators and can transfer heat pretty easily. For this reason, it is a good idea to keep your curtains and blinds closed at night as they act as insulators, reducing heat loss during those dark and chilly evenings.

Solar powered homes

 

 

Of course the thermal (heat) power of the sun is just one form of energy that we can use to reduce our emmissions caused by using electricity that was generated from dirty carbon-emitting power plants. Why not go one step further and use solar power to generate your own cleaner, greener and all-around much nicer energy at home. Imagine being able to power your TV, washer, drier, lights, aircon and every other power-sucking device that we take for granted with energy generated for free right on your own roof?

Of course you might be thinking “But thats expensive and way too hard.” Most people are surprised to find out that they can actually make their own solar panels at home and start using them straight away to suck all that energy out of the rays of sun that are hitting their house all day. If you are too lazy to figure out how to make solar panels for yourself, many countries now offer generous rebates for people who pay for professional installation of solar panels from a commerical business that sells, installs and sets them up for you – no hassle or DIY skills needed at all. Even better, many power companies now even offer the opportunity to sell some of your excess electricity to them where it goes straight back into the power grid – saving you money and providing your community with more green power, now that’s what anyone would call a win win situation.

Posted in Environment

December 21, 2011
7:29 am
by: Skills

The angry birds phenomenon – now with merchandise

Aw arent they cute?

There probably isn’t much more to be said about the ridiculous success of the Angry Birds franchise that hasn’t already been said but while much of the attention has been on the success of the actual applications on iPhone, tablets and Android what has really comes a surprise is how popular the merchandise is. It is not just popular in the US/UK/Australia – I visited SE Asia recently (Malaysia and Singapore mainly) and Angry Birds merchandise and promotions are EVERYWHERE there. No matter where you go you will see posters, stickers, advertisements and cross-promotions. Even on the plane the in flight magazine on Air Asia had sponsorship deals promoting… you guessed it… Angry Birds. Of course a lot of this was tied in with Christmas – what self respecting parent wouldn’t buy their kids something from the hottest trend of the year?

It is little wonder that Rovio, then creator of Angry Birds is reporting revenue of $100 million for 2011, that’s 10x more than 2010. While of course the app sales will still be accounting for a good chunk of that income there is no doubt that massive increase is mostly due to merchandise sales, and I would not be surprised at all if a large amount of that comes from Asia. You can’t underestimate the power of tapping into a huge trend in Asian countries – consumers there notoriously love cutesy fluffy things (Hello Kitty anyone?) plus are huge consumers of electronics and massive video gamers – its like the perfect storm of cute merchandise opportunities. It is little wonder that Rovio themselves have claimed that they expect to sell 20 MILLION Angry Birds plush toys this Christmas alone… and apparently it would be higher than that if production capacity could keep up with demand. It is all adding up to a pretty big IPO as is expected to be announced in 2012 sometime.

Like all fads though you have to wonder how long it can last? Of course the company has new games in the works to keep things moving when interest in the Angry Birds games inevitably wanes but the real challenge will be creating something that even begins to live up to their original smash hit success. There is even a feature length movie planned, which will be interesting to see. Quite how they will make a movie out of a game that while fiendishly addicting is rather limited in complexity and story line remains to be seen.

Of course with all the success of the merchandise comes another problem- counterfeiters. Obviously China is the fastest in the world when it comes to churning out cheap knock-offs and they sure didnt disappoint this time – factories there are pumping out fake Angry Birds merchandise as fast as they can – apparently there is even a completely unauthorized Angry Birds theme park open to the public in China right now! There were even some big imports busted in the US prior to Christmas full of pirated goods. With anything successful there will always be the imitators. So where to next for Angry Birds in 2012 – will they move on past cute fluffy toys? That remains to be seen.

 

 

Posted in General News

December 13, 2011
2:53 pm
by: Skills

My Wife Getting Me A 3d TV For Christmas!

During Christmas, my wife always likes to go above and beyond with her gifts for me.  I never request it, but she absolutely loves to give me over the top gifts in creative ways.  Last year, she gave me concert tickets to one of my favorite bands but wrapped them up in a huge box and tricked me by hiding them in the garage.  I thought I was going to get something completely different – but I still loved the gift!
This year I have a sneaking suspicion that she is going to surprise me with something that I have wanted for a long time now.  Something that I have seen in movie theaters and enjoyed so much that I practically begged her on my hands and knees – but she said we weren’t going to buy it without it being a special occasion.  While I was disappointed to hear this, it just made me think that I was definitely going to get it this Christmas.  What is this mysterious thing that I want so badly.  A 3d TV.

 

panasonic 3d tvs are highly rated

3d TV and Glasses

3d TVs have captured my imagination and desire so fully that it is safe to say that on some days, there’s barely anything else that I think about.  The first time I ever saw a 3d movie was when I went to go see Avatar on those huge IMAX screens.  The movie itself is a brilliant and beautiful piece of film, so to see it on a huge screen in three dimensions was something that my brain wasn’t prepared for.  If a brain could explode, mine would have been in a million pieces all over that theater.  I was simply floored by the exquisite colors and feeling of “realness” that the movie had.  When the giant flying beasts were zipping through the air I felt like I was with them.
Naturally an experience like that is going to stay with you for a while.  I’m a tech geek already, so when I first heard that 3d TVs were planning on being released in time for the holidays I was ecstatic.  I had to have one.  I immediately started to research all of the different makes and models out there.  I do this every time I’m thinking about a new electronics purchase.  Researching, reading and discussing all of the minutiae of each product in the category sounds boring to some.  To me, it’s one of the most exciting ways I can spend my free time.  I sit on the tech forums and debate other enthusiasts, trying to discover that one little tidbit of knowledge that will help me make a better decision.
As much of a fan as I am, I’m still very frugal with where and how I spend my money.  I like to make sure I’m making the best purchase possible before I actually pull the trigger on any electronics product.  This is why my wife probably makes me wait so long before she’ll allow a purchase.  She knows that my research might not be done for a couple months, so it’s safer to wait and see what I have to say about 3d TVs in a few months – that way she can make a more informed purchase for me.

Posted in IT News

December 8, 2011
4:34 am
by: Skills

Where to now for computer monitors?

Before the personal computer was invented, computers didn’t have monitors with visual interfaces at all.  Instead, computers were used as glorified calculators – that’s where the name “computers” comes from.  All of that changed just a few short decades ago with the advent of the visual interface – the pc monitor.

wall of pc monitors

Overkill for the home office?

Pc monitors completely changed the marketplace for computers, shifting it from a corporate and business atmosphere towards one where the end user was in fact just an average person looking for a new piece of technology.  The advent of the personal computer has inarguably changed the landscape of technology, business and communication and monitors are the sole reason behind this shift.
Without pc monitors we would have no way of interacting with a computer in a way that is intuitive to us.  Gone are the days when communicating with the machine by cards with holes punched in them.  Now we have a mouse, a keyboard and a screen to work with when trying to get the most out of these amazing pieces of technology.
When choosing a monitor, it’s important to consider the type of work that you will be doing.  If you’re a graphic designer you will need a larger, higher resolution monitor than if you’re a businessman on the go.  In the former case it’s recommended to get a thirty inch monitor with a screen resolution nearing 2560×1600, in order to have the most space possible to work on.  In the latter case, you’re just a businessman who likely travels a lot but still needs to stay connected.  You’re better off with a laptop or netbook with an attached pc monitor that doesn’t have as high a resolution or screen size.  You just need to access emails, documents and surf the internet to connect with your colleagues – not design websites, graphic banners and artwork.
The monitor has evolved from its humble beginnings as a miniature television screen to encapsulate a wide variety of needs.  There are people who simply want to play video games and surf the internet.  There are people who just need to look at email and write some documents in Microsoft Word.  While at the beginning pc monitors were more of a “one size fits all” product, they have branched out along with the computer market itself.  Laptops, netbooks, desktops and tablets have all become part of the marketplace and pc monitor companies have had to play catch up with the times – or face being lost in the past and having another company out-innovate them to take over the entire market.
I personally think that the ultra-thin direction that monitors are going in is very exciting.  It would be great to one day have monitors that were less than a quarter of an inch thick – moving towards that holographic, futuristic design that we all see and wish was reality in science fiction movies.  That may be a ways off, but there are still enough exciting innovations in the pc monitor market these days to keep this tech-head interested.

Posted in IT News

December 6, 2011
2:40 am
by: Skills

Do you need to scale your software business into a “real” company?

On your own or get your team to do it?

Can you build a successful software dev business on your own? This is the big question for many of us one-man shows who aspire to build something bigger.

I’ve been told that I need an office. I need employees. I need this and that… whatever.

Here’s how I run my business on the highest level and it’s something that you can do too.

First, realize your strengths and weaknesses. My strengths are idea generation and initial implementation. I’m a starter, but once a business is in maintenance mode, I get bored. Thus, on bigger projects, I use partners or managers. Most of these people have a stake in the operation, so if it fails, they do to.

I look for partners that have all the traits I don’t.

Next, while I work from home, my job is usually no more than creating a few videos explaining my concept and then turning it over to an outsourced team to implement.

Here’s a problem I run into often… incompetence. Good LORD, I don’t know how many people I have to go through when launching a new project before I get someone worth a damn. BUT, I always find that person. AND, every person up to that point uses the same training that I completed one time. So my time is wasted more with yelling at the outsource company project manager more than anything. Yes, that is annoying but a reality.

So at any one time, I could have as few as 5 people working for me and as many as 50.

I also have an admin that can coordinate a lot for me once my idea is on paper or on video. This person isn’t necessary, but it’s very nice to have them.

Now, a common problem is funding.

It’s nice and all to lay out this plan (which works for me), but what if you have no money to fund the outsourced team?

Then here’s what you do…

You buckle down and do project #1 yourself. It’s a pain in the ass, but strive for at least 20k in net profit from this project. Then take 2k and give it to your wife or husband to blow and thank them for putting up with your long hours.

Take 8k and put it aside for taxes and bills.

Then take the remaining 10k and use that as payment for your new outsourced team. Have them knock out some quick hit projects that will continue to fund your new operation.

Looks simple, right? While it is on the surface, you will be dealing with a lot of crap along the way.

As long as you REALIZE this upfront and move past it steadily and calmly, then you will be on your way to reaching the success you want. This is the knowledge revolution – you can do whatever you want.

Posted in Uncategorized

December 2, 2011
1:32 pm
by: Skills

Botulism in the news recently – what is it anyway?

botulism

Botulism bacteria

There are few diseases out there that are scarier than botulism.  It is extremely rare but also extremely serious and if you do manage to contract it you are looking at somewhat high mortality rates.  Back in the olden days mortality rates were much higher just because of the lack of adequate medical care as well as a lack of technological development in the medical field.  A 70% mortality rate in the early 1900s was not uncommon.  Thankfully today we are looking at mortality rates ranging from 5%-10%, and most of those who die from botulism are either infants or the elderly.
Botulism is caused by a very strange spore which acts as a toxin to the body.  It’s one of the strongest toxins on Earth, as less than a gram will kill a human.  But how does botulism actually act in the human body – what makes it so deadly?  As with many of the world’s most deadly toxins, it acts as a paralyze not only of the extremities but of your muscles and lungs.  As we all know, without lung function you are likely to die extremely quickly unless you are put on a respirator as soon as possible.
Those who come down with botulism actually have to stay on a respirator for weeks sometimes because of how serious and systemic the effect of the spore is on their system.  The most interesting part about the disease is the fact that it doesn’t just affect humans.  Most mammals and sometimes even fish or birds are affected by the toxin, all with the same exactly symptoms that humans get.

 

Often happens in home-bottle or canned food

So how does someone actually come down with botulism symptoms?  For the most part, it was a mainstay of the times where people would can their own food.  In this type of environment, the botulism spores can actually germinate within the can.  It’s the perfect environment for the toxin, because in order to turn into the botulism toxin the spore needs an anaerobic environment – one without oxygen.  Well canned foods are oxygen free to avoid spoilage and botulism is just one of the risks that people had to take in the days before sterilization of canned foods.
Another way to contract botulism is through a wound.  If the bacteria gets into an open wound it can release the spores into the bloodstream and spread the toxin that way.  Typically this happens to those who are prone to open wounds, so athletes and drug users actually are the two biggest demographics for botulism poisoning through a wound.
The most common way to get botulism is actually as an infant.  It is able to infect a young child’s body more readily than older people and is one of the major groups of people who actually die from the disease.  Fortunately, most people who are diagnosed with botulism make a full recovery and are back to living a normal, healthy live in just a few short weeks.  Regardless, it is a dangerous disease that needs to be more well known in the eyes of the public.

Posted in Medical