By Natasha Lomas, 29 January 2008 09:00
NEWS
The good news is the UK's IT & telecoms sector is thriving. The bad news is 140,000 newbies are likely to be needed annually to satisfy the industry's demand for increasingly skilled staff.
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♦ Demand for tech workers hits six-year high
♦ How the staffing crisis is deepening
♦ How techie salaries are faring
♦ Is the office getting you down?
That's according to research from industry skills body e-skills UK, which notes computing student numbers in the UK are falling - down 50 per cent in the last five years. Meanwhile, the number of women in the sector is falling - down to just one in five workers.
e-skills UK predicts just 19 per cent of the sector's new recruits will come direct from education. More than half will be experienced workers transferring in from other occupations - and this puts fresh focus on training, it said.
Karen Price, CEO of e-skills UK, said as some IT activities move out of the country to lower cost nations, the UK's IT & telecoms sector must look to other industries to plug its skills gap by reskilling and upskilling workers.
She said in a statement: "The forecasts for continued industry growth uncovered by our research are very encouraging. But beneath these forecasts lies a complex picture of restructuring and skills shift."
Paul Coby, CIO, British Airways and chair of the e-skills UK CIO Board, said business and technology skills training must improve "at all levels".
He said in a statement: "This means producing not just highly skilled IT professionals but business and public leaders who are IT savvy, and a workforce across all industries that is trained and able to use technology."
The research, entitled UK IT & Telecoms Insights 2008, predicts the majority of employment growth for jobs in the sector will be in IT management, IT strategy and software - especially project management, systems architecture, business process, change management, security and risk management.
More on the UK's IT & telecoms sectorÂ…
♦ Around one in 20 of the UK's workforce is employed in IT & telecoms
♦ 40 per cent of the sector's staff have managerial/strategy roles
♦ Staff earn 61 per cent more than the UK average
♦ There are more than 109,000 businesses in the sector
♦ More than 98 per cent of the companies are service-based
♦ 86 per cent of companies employ just four or fewer people
♦ 42 per cent of companies are based in the South East of England
Customer and business-oriented skills will also be in increased demand, along with advanced technical capability.
Around a fifth (22 per cent) of companies in the sector looking to recruit staff said they are finding it difficult to attract applicants with the right skills, the research found.
e-skills UK's Price added: "The importance of IT & telecoms to the UK means that skills gaps and shortages have a huge knock-on effect for the rest of the economy."
Comments
There are 16 comments. Join the discussion
1. Michael King
So how come I am still unemployed after redundancy four months ago when I have twelve years VS C++ following 25 years management and direct sales - maybe the skills do exist but are embedded in mature professionals? I am seeking £18/£30K and if I am not 'over qualified', I am not qualified enough.
2. anonymous
My son was made redundant from his IT job on Xmas eve having worked himself out of a job that paid the minimum wage- he is struggling to find another job - he has an IT degree - where are these well paid IT jobs?
When he left university he struggled to get a job because he didn't have 3 years experience that employers wanted and that they could get from applicants from eastern europe. How are graduates going to get the esperience when that is going on?
3. Brian Hughes
Having left the IT sector 5 years ago due to not being able to find suitable contract or permanent employment due I think to my age (now 57) I re-skilled and became a driving instructor. Many of the pupils I teach are taught ITC in college and the level of subjest they are taught appalls me as, in my opinion, it bears no relation to what the industry appears to calling for. They are given subjest to discuss without the basic information that any professional would ask before comment. i.e. what do you want to do with it, can it be supported, has the user any prior knowledge, can they turn it on etc need I go on. 5 years ago myself and many of my peers got out of computing due to many factors, undervalued, IR35 and much more, now the industry and goverment bleat.
4. Karen Challinor
while I applaud the drive to get more young people into IT and train those that are already there I can't help wondering how many "oldies" there are who have the required skillsets but can't get a look in because they are the same age as the interviewers parents
5. anonymous
I agree with all that has been said - one of the problems I face is that employers seem to only want young people - even at 48 I am deemed to old, albit that I have 20+ years of experience and stil have at least 12 years working life yet (17 if I don't retire until 65).
Fresh knowledge is good, but couple wiht experience is even better
6. Simon
Don't anyone forget that this current ageism is, in part a legacy from the Thatcher years. And it's something I can't see out current government bing in any rush to put right either.
You see, it suits governments to let young people have the jobs there are - because they, probably correctly, realise that the more mature people are not likely to riot in the streets over unemployment. Perhaps "tut tut" over their breakfast, or write a letter to the Guardian - but not riot in the streets.
I've just been sent an email by one of the agencies - I'm going to write back and ask if it's a junior or senior position. The description clearly says "senior with responsibility and experience", the salary offered clearly says "junior" !
7. Roger Huffadine
I agree with all that has been said so far by others. I have seen IT teaching to the National Curriculum in Schools and it is appalling, the content and depth [should be shallows] are no where near to approaching the skills needed for the most mundane office tasks - let alone working in IT.
Yes I'm highly skilled and too old.
No I won't get out of bed to go to work for less than £10 per hour.
8. anonymous
So where are all the companies offering training courses to get people up to speed or are they just expecting people to train themselves??
9. Dick Vinegar
In 1981, I was made redundant aged 51, and never found a regular employer. But I am still gainfully active in IT.
My advice to the previous commenters:
1. Ignore HR consultants and personnel managers. They are all institutionally ageist.
2. I hate to say this, but you should learn to spell, write grammatical English and learn to stitch together a coherent argument.
3. Go out on your own if you have the intelligence, drive, guts and staying power.
4. Send your spouse out to work, while you get established.
5. Stop moaning.
10. Karen Challinor
not everyone is capable of setting up and running their own business mr vinegar, not even among those who have excellent technical skills
telling them to stop moaning and go it alone is not an answer to ageism
11. Christ Stevens
Like Mr Vinegar I was made redundant at 50. Like Mr Vinegar I have seen the institutional ageism of recruitment agencies and HR Departments.
Like Mr Vinegar I formed my own company and made lots and lots of phone calls. I now earn twice what I did when I was "employed" and with no problem in finding clients.
I'm sorry Ms Challinor, but sitting waiting for the recruitment agencies/HR Departments will not find a grey haired person a job, except maybe stacking shelves. This situation will be perpetuated until offending HR Managers/Recruitment Co Directors are sent to prison for ageist activities.
12. Karen Challinor
I agree Mr Stevens, I'm in a similar position to yourself, I'm just saying that not everyone is capable of running a business, not even those with good technical skills, should they be thrown on the scrapheap because they don't have a head for business ?
I do like the idea of prison sentences for ageist recruiters though
13. Radical Meldrew
The recent report about new graduates in industry acquiring an arrogant stance is excellent news. They are apparently a me, me, me generation and are probably typical of the HR recruiters who consider anyone over 30 too old to impress with their new-found importance. They probably ignore learning from 'olduns' because they have newer, fresher ideas. I'm not against any form of change that is thoughtful and controlled and most important – beneficial, but the muddled plans I’ve seen of late seem to call for a return to the old apprenticeship scheme. Apprentices would at least have an understanding of the systems and processes that are already in place before they set about restructuring the planet.
14. Dick Vinegar
More free advice for the redundant:
1. Network, network, network from the day you get into IT.
2. Learn a new technology a year. I am amazed that people still think that knowing about C++ or some other goddam language is a meal-ticket for life.
3. Get a business skill.
I was lucky that when I was made redundant, the Government was running mini-MBAs for redundant executives. This taught not just the essential skills of writing cVs and not making a fool of myself in interviews, but a quick canter through sales, marketing, personnel, business organsation, forecasting. This stopped me being a mere techie.
Finally, avoid face to face contact with employers until the last possible moment. Your appearance will be against you.
15. George Wintle
As someone 'surplus to requirements' in the ICT sector at 53 I have spent the last 5 years on minimal pay in the 'education' sector hoping to lift young people's chances. Sad to say -I too am totally disollusioned with what education says is ICT qualification.
Perhaps one of the employment bodies out there can tell us - in current priority order - the skills needed now and soon - you never know, perhaps the answer is at least in part 'out there'.
Ageism may, as already stated, be the real hurdle we're tripping over.
16. Tony Sygrove
I agree with everything said so far I was over qualified, sorry I meant to say too old to get a job in IT so I cast my net further and within two weeks I was signed up to work in Saudi Arabia not one mention about my age I am now 61 and fitter and healthier than I have been for a long time. I started out here as a Project Engineer and within one year due to my knowledge, skills and experience (notice no mention of age) I am now working as an IT Consultant. The monies great the work is rewarding I am appreciated by my peers the only draw back is I am away from my darling wife. So to all of you out there of a similar age leave the cold, wet island where you arent appreciated and join me in the sun and the sand. Some day some one in authority will realise how foolish they where to ignore such a vast rich reservoir of talent.