The Information Services NTO Vision Statement:

Our vision of the future acknowledges that the successful delivery of information services is critically dependent on the capability of the workforce and the capacity to manage continuous learning and development. The pace of technological change and the pressure of global competition require determined action to ensure sufficient investment in education and training and the sustainable development of skills and competencies. We must develop our workforce to meet current and future service needs and enable all individual workers to realise their full potential and contribute their talents to the emerging knowledge economy. Making this happen is the responsibility of employers and the NTO working with Government, education and training providers, and others.

We envisage a future that is significantly different to the present, with an improved education and training infrastructure and an enlightened learning culture which supports and stimulates continuous workforce development. We foresee a unified sector representing the full spectrum of information service functions from heritage value to business contribution, which realises the benefits of converged services while recognising the value of specialist expertise. Information services have vital economic and social roles, particularly in supporting the freedom of information, and this must be properly acknowledged by society and employers. We look forward to a situation where information service workers have equal status to those with equivalent qualifications and their level of remuneration reflects the added value that they bring to their organisations.

To reach this position we need an infrastructure with fully developed occupational standards and a unified qualifications structure enabling flexible progression to professional accreditation with multiple routes and entry points. We anticipate a continuing focus on IT training to keep pace with rapid advances in technology and higher priority given to management and leadership skills to ensure that services are effectively directed towards organisational goals. Success in the future depends ultimately on the commitment of managers and individuals, expressed as

• acceptance of responsibility for developing themselves and others
• alignment of staff training plans with organisational service strategies
• allocation of due resources to education, training and development
• access to training and qualifications for all members of the workforce.

We see the isNTO fulfilling its role as the authoritative voice and preferred source of advice on current and future skills needs for the sector, which will be informed by regularly updated research and foresight. We see its key tasks as follows

• assisting sector leaders to articulate future directions
• formulating plans to supply and maintain the skills needed
• improving access to effective and innovative learning
• promoting collaboration among stakeholders to optimise provision.

Above all the isNTO will foster the culture of a learning workforce throughout the sector.