By Gemma Simpson, 5 April 2007 09:00
NEWS
The UK's technology industry is under threat as fewer people choose IT-related degrees and careers.
The uptake of IT-related degrees has almost halved within four years from 27,000 in 2001 to 14,700 in 2005, according to research from e-skills UK.
Karen Price, CEO of e-skills UK, said technology-based degrees must adapt to reflect the broader range of capabilities required to be successful within a modern career in IT. She added that employers are often recruiting from non-technical disciplines to obtain these skills.
Is there a skills shortage?
Tell us what you think of the IT workforce in silicon.com's 2007 Skills Survey.
The UK's position as a provider of world-class expertise in the IT arena will be threatened unless more people join the industry, the organisation warned.
Richard Pettinger, course director of the BSc Information management business course at University College London, told silicon.com people are now growing up surrounded by computers, so an IT-related degree may not be the obvious choice to sixth-form students.
Pettinger said: "Universities need to go into schools and make it clear to sixth formers what an IT-related degree can offer them in the future."
The UK's IT sector is growing at five to eight times the national average for industry growth but only three in 10 technology graduates choose to enter the IT workforce, e-skills UK research found.
Pettinger added many IT graduates may be tempted by offers from investment banks, financial services institutions or consultancy work from the likes of Accenture and Deloitte, instead of pure IT-based careers.
Two separate pieces of previous research found employers and universities are failing to provide the IT skills needed by workers, while vocational courses are gaining support.
Comments
There are 9 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
I have two young sons. I have worked in the computer industry (for a major multinational) for 12 years. Based on my experiences of my employers predatory and exploitative treatment of its computer workers, I am determined to advise my sons not to go anywhere near computers, especially programming, in their own careers. Instead I shall be advising them to study an area that offers a genuine career such as medicine, the law, education, the police, etc. Many of my colleagues feel the same.
2. anonymous
having achieved a degree in computer science, I have found it little advantage within the work place, many people have none or even degree's from polytechnics.
It's all experience and my brother whom did an MCSE from the back of a magazine seems to be doing just as well.
Now clearing debt all it was a a drunken time and very expensive time.
3. Roger Huffadine
Forget Employers & Universities not giving students IT skills - just study the crap in the National Curriculum - and the blandness of GCSEs and A levels in Computer Technology. No wonder fewer students want to go into IT - the National Curriculum stifles innovation and GCSEs & A levels are prescriptive so there is little if anything of use to industry in the courses.
4. Sarah
With the large number of IT posts that have been outsourced to India and elsewhere over the last few years, who can blame them for not choosing an uncertain career in IT.
5. Rob
no suprises here.
long hours, ignorant bosses, bad job security, outsourcing. IT is becoming the new McDonalds of Jobs
6. Joel Watson
Ah well - all the more money for us :-)
But seriously, the reason no-one is looking at getting into IT, is that everyone did that ten years ago and the market was flooded with people. Now everyone is getting into things like pipefitting, because that's where the money is. Soon there will be a bazillion unemployed pipefitters and some other industry area which is short staffed will start offering serious money and everyone will go for that. It's supply and demand.
7. Fred carno
Whilst more and more companies are outsourcing their IT development and repair work overseas why should students take the risk of studying for a degree that may not offer them a job at the end of it.
8. Nic Horrocks
This does not surprise me in the least. As a recent (within the last couple of years) graduate I took an IT related degree specifically to get into the IT industry. It took me a further 6 months after graduation to get any kind of interview, of which I only got one!
Fortunately I landed the job, but it could have been another 18 months had I not!
Now I sit here and listen to employers moaning about this skill shortage, I know several out of work IT technicians, I have also been looking for a more suitable job myself, but there is either no response or I keep getting told that there are stronger candidates out there (when there's a skill shortage??).
I think the problem is employers looking for more skills than they need. A typical example, a company is looking for a network engineer, so what do they ask for? CCNP qualifications. Now it may not be so bad now, but when I first took my CCNA, there were only approximately 250 people in the EU actually CCNP qualified. There's your skill shortage!
So back to the article. If you want to be out of work while the news is telling you there is a shortage of skills in you area of expertise then take an IT Degree!
Great Advertising!
9. Chris Wren
No money in IT
There just isn't the money in IT to attract decent candidates...... why would someone spend 4 years doing a degree in computing when they can earn twice as much with a marketing degree.
The maths just don't add up for anyone with half a brian.