By Tim Ferguson, 16 October 2007 15:57
NEWS
The skills needed for tech jobs are now much broader and more business focused than previously, according to IT execs speaking at silicon.com's CIO Forum.
Mark O'Neill, CIO at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, said tech workers need to be more rounded in terms of their skills. Citing an old proverb, O'Neill said: "The fox knows many things [but] the hedgehog knows one, and that one thing in depth. We need to become foxes."
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He added: "Technology is very much part of a mix of skills."
But O'Neill emphasised this doesn't mean technical knowledge and skills are any less important: "The challenge for us is not to throw out the geek with the bath-water." And he added: "The people in the organisation that look inside and outside the organisation are the IT crowd."
In terms of how to attract people to the industry, he said: "One of the things about IT is that it offers lots of opportunities. What you need to do is give people career paths that are realistic."
Ben Whishart, Whitbread's group IS director, agreed that the demands of tech jobs are changing. He said: "I think in the departments we work in, the world, is changing. Just running IT is not good enough."
Adam Thilthorpe, professionalism programme manager for the British Computer Society agreed, saying IT is no longer just about the geeks in the basement.
He added: "Now and in the future, it's about change. But it's not about IT for IT's sake."
Comments
There are 3 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
WTF is this article about?
We need to change but change to what?
More empty management speak.
2. anon
is someone actually getting paid to think this crap up, ppl in many industries need different skills, comms, sales, etc not all it folks are total geekswe should be saying 'car mechanics need to use less attitude and more customer service' truth is business is moving further from human nature, creed n profit comes 1st now.
3. Radical Meldrew
Is rehashing the tortoise & hare analogy to describe modern IT requirements the cleverest thing he can do? God help us all. Why the hell he got involved is a mystery anyway - Culture, Media & Sport??? Butt out buddy and go and play with the vultures, that’s er….culture vultures… you’ll be at home amongst them I’m sure.