Network-centric work - Implications to professional it education

Telework; telelearning and telecommuting are current buzzwords in the modern information society. information and communication technology (ICT) gives us many options and challenges to transform work and learning processes being independent of time and place. However, some findings indicate that people are still moving to city centres despite teleworking and telelearning opportunities. Division of tasks and processes, support of management technological problems, location of telework sites and acceptance of new technology are some of the inhibitors The following study focuses on three research areas First, it examines the quality and level of ICT used in households of Finnish business people; secondary, the current state and growth of networking in office and at home; and thirdly the related service and financial issues hindering the implementation of network-centric technology and processes. The sample represents the views of Finnish small and medium size enterprises' managers which actually may gain the most from telework and telelearning. Results indicate that the emerging network technology should fit with the current technology used in households and with no major barriers, either technical or social On the other hand the services and content of network-centric working and learning should be clear and visible.