Shaping Computing and Information Processing as a Vital National Resource. (Keynote Address).

New technical specialties are emerging within the computer industry at a rate threatening the ability of educational institutions to train those who would understand and apply them. The industry's ability to undertake more ambitious projects and to thereby solve more complex problems is limited by an inadequate force of skilled manpower. Thus, it finds itself in the following position: (1) there exists a distressingly large number of poorly qualified people at all levels; (2) those who are now competent are becoming less so every day as technological developments continue; (3) long-term career prospects for data processing people in most user organizations are not sufficiently promising to attract the talented; (4) universities are turning out far too few computer-oriented problem-solvers; and (5) the industry is having a difficult time achieving professional maturity. The solution of these problems will require considerable effort. (Author/WCM)