By Tom Espiner, 21 May 2007 08:29
NEWS
The government's chief information officer has called for the IT profession to present a united front to combat a growing IT skills shortage.
John Suffolk said: "My belief is that any great business is underpinned by professionalism, and there is a decline in people going into the IT profession. The more we show people entering and leaving university just how fantastic the value created by technology is, the more people will want to come in."
The technology industry needs an influx of more than 150,000 people per annum, according to e-skills UK and Gartner. But while there is an increase in demand, the number of people with relevant skills is static or declining. According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the number of computer science graduates in 2005/06 was just 34,005. And government statistics show only three out of 10 graduates with IT-related degrees go into the profession.
Is there a skills shortage?
Tell us what you think of the IT workforce in silicon.com's 2007 Skills Survey.
Suffolk said it is difficult for businesses to find graduates with relevant skills, for example, in systems architecture. "Deep enterprise architects are hard to find, and there aren't many in the world," he said.
Mike Rodd, the British Computing Society (BCS) director of external relations, said IT is such a broad sector even computer science graduates may not have gained the right skills. "There's a growing number of people with the right degrees but the wrong skills for particular parts of the IT sector," he said.
Rodd said there needs to be "serious leadership from government, from the major tech players, and from bodies like [the BCS]", to put out a positive message about the IT industry and encourage people to enter the profession.
The BCS is involved in various projects to raise the profile of IT as a profession, including schools outreach projects, such as the University of Southampton National Cipher Challenge, which encouraged school children to crack codes.
Tom Espiner writes for ZDNet UK
Comments
There are 10 comments. Join the discussion
1. Ian Paterson
"My job went to India and all I got was this lousy T-shirt"
I think that just about sums up the drop in tech graduates.
2. anonymous
Government policy is against IT Techy's.
IR35 made it so difficult for me to continue as a contracting consultant, that I, a techy with 40 years IT experience, and 2 trainees at the time gave up that business.
Unless you are a 'Price Waterhouse' sized organisation, you cannot bill for trainees time.
So that means billing for work they do, as being presented by the company.
Yopuu own the company, so that's considered your income, and subject to PAYE, Employee, and Employer NI.
Then you have to pay the trainees out of your net, (40% of the gross), and then pay employer NI on top of that.
and those training coursed you need @ £5000 - £10,000 a pop, Out of your Net again.
And I setup as a contractor because the 'permenant' employment prospects for over 40's were poor, and not they are not just poor, but better described as grim.
And yes - I'd advise any youngster considering IT as a career to think very carefully of what they will do when their employability ends when they have their 40th birthday.
The 'qualifications needed are Business and personel related. and if they have them, why go into the limited area of IT, when there's a much better chance of long term employment as a HR 'downsizing' manager
Work while they cutback, and more work when they then have to find people to do the work of those that were 'let go'
3. Eric the Disillusioned
If the industry hadn't commoditised itself so vigorously (just look at the tv adverts showing how you can be an expert on 30 grand in just 6 weeks study) and hadn't continuously sought the lowest price bid (why have an expert when you can have a graduate) then it might have had a career to offer.
The growth and growth of campanies through integration and acquisition in this sector has led to an accounting based culture that stifles creativity, stifles career and removes any idea of decent working environment.
IT has become the sweat-shop of the 21st century and nobody wants to work in a sweat-shop for 45 years.
4. Karen Challinor
...Suffolk said it is difficult for businesses to find graduates with relevant skills - for example, in systems architecture. "Deep enterprise architects are hard to find, and there aren't many in the world," said Suffolk....
well no there just aren't that many aged 21 and fresh out of university
there are quite a few aged over 40 with lots of industry experience though
why not try employing some of them ?
...KAABOOOOOOM.... *karen is struck by lighning for being a heretic* ...
5. anonymous
"IT has become the sweat-shop of the 21st century and nobody wants to work in a sweat-shop for 45 years."
That is SO true..
Just shovel the code out as quick as you can.. Sod standards and quality.
So much for pride in your job..
IT, I wish I had never got into it in the first place.
6. anonymous
Karen Said
"there are quite a few aged over 40 with lots of industry experience though
why not try employing some of them ? "
Answer__ Cos, Illegal or not. .It IS AGEIST.
Making it illegal wont stop it. Employers just find a way round it.
7. Karen Challinor
I know, I was being sarcastic, I'm unemployable too
so they don't ask your age on the application form
you turn up for the interview and as soon as you walk through the door you've lost the job
unless you've got the "Cliff Richard" somewhere in your ancestry
8. anonymous
I think the most important fact in your article is that only 3 out of 10 current computer science graduates manage even to get jobs in this industry. Several of my friends who graduated over the last few years have had terrible time trying to get any work. Thats because there are far too many graduates for the few jobs available. I think the figure of 150000 jobs created a year is sheer baloney, unless they are including lower skilled work such as data entry, telephone answering etc - certainly there are nothing like that number of jobs at the high skill end such as in software. I smell a rat here: Im sure this imaginary skills shortage will be used by companies to argue that they need to allow large numbers of Indian and other foreign programmers to come and work here on permits. All they want is to lower the wages. Ask any computer science graduate who has worked for a few years and is around 40 years old: they wont give you a job at any price.
9. anonymous
Having been made redudant I have not been able to gain employment because, in the words of the employers, I am too experienced. Where is the skill shortage here.
10. S. Krishnan
All yours computers jobs is belong to us.