From the President

May 2016

This month I've been taking another look at correspondence I had with MBIE in 2015. When we complete our Census forms, we are categorised with journalists, in spite of the fact that our jobs are much more similar to other, more ICT-centric, professions. This lack of visibility at governmental level means that employers and graduates aren't including technical communicators when considering the growing ICT industry.

Last year I corresponded with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to understand why technical communicators aren't included in data relating to ICT occupations in the 2015 Information and Communication Technology Report (page 80).

Julian Young, Principal Analyst, Labour Market Trends, explained that MBIE’s estimates of ICT occupations are based on both:

  1. a definition of ICT occupations that was agreed with stakeholders.
  2. Census definitions and counts of employees.

Upon further enquiry, Young explained that "The definition of ICT occupations is one we wish to retain, since it was widely agreed upon following extensive stakeholder discussion." I wasn't able to get more information from him on the stakeholder group's composition.

Are we Professionals > Arts and Media?

Young also gave detail about the Census count. In the Census, technical writer (ANZSCO code 212415) is classified under Journalists and Other Writers ANZSCO code 2124 – a sub-group of Professionals > Arts and Media. Here is the list from this standard of the tasks our job supposedly includes:

  • determining advertising approach by consulting clients and management, and studying products to establish principal selling features
  • writing advertisements for press, radio, television, cinema screens, billboards, catalogues and shop displays
  • making decisions about the specific content of publications in conjunction with other senior editors and in accordance with editorial policies and guidelines
  • reviewing copy for publication to ensure conformity with accepted rules of grammar, style and format, coherence of story, and accuracy, legality and probity of content
  • collecting and analysing facts about newsworthy events from interviews, printed matter, investigations and observations
  • writing news reports, commentaries, articles and feature stories for newspapers, magazines, journals, television and radio on topics of public interest
  • researching and writing technical, information-based material and documentation for manuals, text books, handbooks and multimedia products
  • critically discussing daily news topics in the editorial columns of newspapers and reviewing books, films and plays

I have highlighted the one task that I recognise from my long career as a technical communicator.

Or Professionals > ICT Professionals?

Now, here is the task list for ICT Business and Systems Analysts ANZSCO code 2611 – a sub-group of Professionals > ICT Professionals:

  • working with users to formulate and document business requirements
  • identifying, investigating, and analysing business processes, procedures and work practices
  • identifying and evaluating inefficiencies and recommending optimal business practices, and system functionality and behaviour
  • using project management methodologies, principles and techniques to develop project plans and to cost, resource and manage projects
  • taking responsibility for deploying functional solutions, such as creating, adopting and implementing system test plans, which ensure acceptable quality and integrity of the system
  • creating user and training documentation, and conducting formal training classes
  • developing functional specifications for use by system developers
  • using data and process modelling techniques to create clear system specifications for the design and development of system software
  • acting as a central reference and information source, providing guidance and assistance in the system project decision making process

Once again I've highlighted the tasks I recognise having performed as a technical communicator. I'm not suggesting we're business analysts - in fact there are many things we do that are not listed here, and of course not all technical communicators do some of the tasks I've highlighted.

Why it matters

I think this analysis makes some points abundantly clear:

  • technical writers are miscategorised by government in Australia and New Zealand
  • our contribution in ICT is not well recognised at governmental level

This is a problem, because it impedes our visibility as an important and useful profession. There are still far too many potential recruits and employers who don't know about what we do, and too many practitioners who don't know that they are part of a TC professional community. This affects us all.

How you can help

Over coming months I will be making further enquiries into the process for amending the standard. I would welcome assistance with this task - please email me if you're interested in being involved - thepresident@techcomm.nz.

In the meantime, if you'd like to help increase our visibility and be in the draw to win one of 3 $100 Prezzy Cards, check out our Member Logo Challenge.

Regards from beautiful, autumnal Christchurch,