By Tim Ferguson, 7 June 2007 08:00
NEWS
A significant proportion of recruiters feel the skills levels of graduate recruits are below company requirements.
Four out of 10 recruiters quizzed as part of UK sector skills council e-skills UK's ICT Inquiry said business, non-technical and interpersonal skills are lacking in new graduates, suggesting a skills shortage continues to trouble UK companies looking to recruit new graduates into IT roles.
Nearly one in five employers (18 per cent) feel gaps in technical skills are reasons for not employing new graduates, while 13 per cent said the same about communication skills.
Read all about ITÂ…
Check out the Editor's Blog for the silicon.com chief's take on the hot tech issues of the moment.
There were also skills gaps reported for existing IT workers, with 27 per cent of employers describing the level of business skills and other non-technical skills as 'poor' or 'very poor'.
The research follows recent warnings the UK must improve its IT skills base to remain competitive.
e-skills UK CEO Karen Price said employer concerns need to be addressed to encourage them to recruit recent graduates.
Price said employers want a blend of technical, business and personal skills from graduates and added e-skills UK is working with universities to offer more business-oriented technology degree courses.
The e-skills UK ICT Inquiry surveyed 1,000 individuals involved in IT recruitment and development.
Comments
There are 6 comments. Join the discussion
1. I.T manager
It's all very well saying we want more skills but if they want to do something about it they have to say what skills they want. Lack of interpersonal skills run all the way from gossiping in the office to starting a fight in the canteen. And what exactly are these business skills they lack then? The whole thing is a vapid undefined we aren't getting what we expect sort of moan.
There's the little issue of training. We didn't expect our graduates to be fully fledged in the past and perhaps it's just plain unrealistic to want to do without it now.
2. Karen Challinor
oh dear
we have a skills shortage have we ?
we won't hire the experienced older person because they are "set in their ways"
we won't hire the slightly younger and less experienced as "their skills aren't a good fit"
now we won't hire people with the right skills fresh from university as "they have poor interpersonal skills"
guess we'll just have to offshore or hire immigrant workers as they "are cheaper to hire"
3. Paul W
Thin Clients & Thick Staff ?
How many of our best numerate and literate students are actually encouraged to move into a career where their skills are most likely to be used for proofing their boss’s, Data Processing orientated, work for long hours. What exciting new challenges can these bright young characters face other than implementing another of Bill Gates’ en-mass products.
Technologically, the UK now seems bent on the highest profit and cheapest delivery rather than the best real solutions. Could it be that we are now seeing the second order effects of innumerate Bean Counters’ policies?
4. anonymous
Perhaps 'expectations' are unrealistic, or more likely undefined ?
Take a look at any IT jobs site and you'll see enless lists of jobs asking for people with a mountain of skills for what are presumably junior positions judging by the salary offered (or not offered to be more accurate).
Are we stuck in a vicious circle, where applicants are getting more prone to 'embelishing' their skills to get past the first round of rejection letters - and employers are asking for more and more to offset the embelishing that they believe to be going on ? Is this is going on, where does that leave us 'old fashioned' people with a sense of honesty which prevents us 'embelishing' our CVs in this way ?
5. Ian G
I agree with the sentiments of the other commentators. Firms complain about difficulty in getting the right staff but what they don't mention is that when a job is advertised they get dozens if not hundreds of applicants. All these applicants can't ALL be duff in one way or another.
A good read on this topic is a book with a link to it here:
http://tinyurl.com/2agyd8
6. anonymous
I followed up why I was rejected for a job that I seemed well qualified for.
They just wanted an IT Degree.
I have a techie Degree and Master that was relevant. I'd also covered the issues on my Masters Project, and sold the products they use in a previous job.
I omitted my age.
The recruiter told me how I came across. They were quite accurate about my age.
At the end of the call the recruiter said "You've come across completely different from how you did on the form".
Having been jointly responsible for a £2M PA sales territory you'd have thought that the panel sifting through the applications that I had the ability to communicate and get along with people.
But perhaps they were ageist, and I'm just too old?
I guess they don't realise that in my part time job I work with teenagers to pernsioners?
And they don't think that I have seen for myself how work shy young graduates and undergraduates can be?
My employer calls me up often wanting me to do overtime, and it would seem that I could earn more money driving a truck for them, than some of these recruitment expect to pay experienced graduates.
It begs the question why bother getting a degree?
One exam from becoming a CCNP will it be worth it?