The National Archives of Australia (NAA) has launched a fresh training course to school government information managers to deal with the new challenges they face in the rapidly changing world of digital information.

In the training course that the official record keeper has dubbed as ‘DIGITAL’, its curriculum will focus on information managers’ role as decision makers who “must influence agencies and improve their ability to manage digital information”.

The acronym ‘DIGITAL’ stands for the seven keys to effective digital management including “Direction and policy, Information for business needs, Governance and risk, Implementation, Tools and systems, Accountability and Leadership”.

The one-day course is part of a wider move by the Archives to create “intensive, practical training” on digital information management through the Digital Transition Policy.

Although this policy requires government agencies to move from a paper-based office to fully digital information management for “efficiency purposes”, the global vice president of Intel, Gordon Graylish has insisted that paper-based supplies will stick around in office environments for a while longer.

But according to the Archives, the policy has “resulted in a great deal of cultural change within agencies and new recognition of the value of government information as an important business asset”.

The Archives director-general David Fricker said all agencies need to recognise that skilled information managers are vital if they are to meet government expectations for increased efficiency, accountability, digital transition and digital continuity.

“It’s now widely understood that managing digital information more effectively will ultimately improve business outcomes. As an international leader in this field, we recognise that it is our responsibility to help agencies enhance the skills of these key professionals,” Mr Fricker said.

According to the Archives, the courses in March, April and May in Canberra are already booked out.

But extra monthly DIGITAL courses have been scheduled in 2014 to meet the demand because of its popularity with government agencies and organisations outside the Commonwealth government.

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