English

IMAC, the Dutch Information Management Academy is run by and for
the government. Civil servants can share knowledge and exchange information with their colleagues and IMAC offers training sessions to increase the level of knowledge in the field of Information Management.

Objectives

The Academy's first task is to strengthen the information management and the development of the connectors group within the central government. To do so, several programmes have been developed. Furthermore, IMAC will be a platform for the top level inventors in information management.

Target groups

IMAC discerns three types of officials within the field of information management: Chief Information Officers, connectors and IT-professionals.

Chief Information Officers can be discerned into policy officers and principals. The inventing policy officer is an innovative policy officer with a good feeling of what ICT can mean for the working environment. The inventing principal is a principal with such an ICT-knowledge, that he can hold a grip on processes of change. The knowledge of the connector is dual. On one side the connector has knowledge on ICT and on the other side knowledge on policy and organisation (the business). By this, the connector can build a bridge between ICT and a policy-idea or ICT and the organisation. The IT-professional is an ICT-specialist for system development and IT-management.

IMAC focuses on both the connectors and the Chief Information Officers within the government.

Products

An overview of the products of IMAC:

• a training in information management for connectors in which the standard for the government is set. ICT-policy, innovation and ICT-management are central themes;
• a platform for the inventors, where top level management, principals and policy officers can meet each other and talk about information management issues without window dressing;
• network meetings for the alumni of the programme for connectors;
• Custom made trainings, for example: 
• a training for town clerks, that focuses on the transfer of knowledge with strategic frameworks and theoretical models for services online;
• a custom made training for employees of the division POIR (Personnel, Organisation, Information of the State);
• a custom made training for the directors Organisation and Information of the Ministries (IODI).

Background

Research on the desirability of an Information Management Academy, has shown that notably for the groups of inventors and connectors an academy could make a meaningful contribution to an increase of the government personnel's quality. In October 2003 IMAC, the Dutch academy for information management, was founded.

Organisation

IMAC is an unique collaboration between nine government organizations:

• the Centre for Work and Income (CWI);
• the Centre for Vehicle Technology and Information (RDW);
• IB-group for student grants and information management;
• the Kadaster, land registry;
• the SVB for the administration of Dutch state pensions, survivor's benefits, child benefit and other social insurance schemes;
• the Dutch Tax Administration of the Ministry of Finance;
• the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality;
• the Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations and Public Affairs; and
• the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment.