Best talent is the real winner

In knowledge-based economies:

IN knowledge-based economies, whoever has the best talent wins, said Telecommunication Development Bureau director for International Telecommunication Union (ITU) yesterday.

Director Sami Al-Basheer Al-Morshid, addressing the ITU Regional Human Capacity Development Forum for Asia Pacific, yesterday cited surveys affirming that shortages of internal talent and skills pose great challenges to organisations.

"The challenge of human capacity development in developing countries is a formidable one. Today, competitive advantage lies much in fostering the skills and competencies of people," said Sami Al-Basheer.

He added that most top CEOs are starting to recognise the importance of supporting and fostering growing talent within their organisation.

"This is particularly true in the rapidly changing ICT sector meaning where new staff skill sets are constantly required," he said.

The three-day ITU regional Human Capacity Development forum, being held at The Rizqun International Hotel, is one of a global series of ITU regional forums promoting excellence in human capacity and talent development, with a focus on the ICT sector.

The objective of the forum is to provides an opportunity to debate human capacity development needs in the ICT public and private sectors, discussing best practices in human and institutional capacity building and network with international and regional thought leaders on learning and development.

Participants are also able to develop new contacts and meet training providers operating in the Asia-Pacific region and develop regional initiatives for cooperation among public and private sector stakeholders involved in learning and development.

Three sessions were held yesterday, starting with a high-level panel on "Human Capacity Development Challenges: A Strategic Perspective", discussing the key human capacity development challenges in the ICT sector.

This was followed by an overview of the telecommunications/ICT sector growth and trends in the Asia-Pacific region, including the growth of broadband and mobile telecommunications, during the "Setting the Scene: Trends in the Telecommunications/ICT sector in Asia Pacific and Impact on Learning and Development" session. The third session, "Human Capital Development: Talent Attraction, Motivation and Retention in a Competitive Environment", reviewed some of the challenges and success stories in talent attraction, motivation and retention in the highly competitive ICT environment. The International Telecommunication Union is a United Nation specialised agency for Information and communication technologies and has led an active role in ICT capacity building.

The Brunei Times