Fears over long-term shortages mean IT skills are once again in the spotlight - but this time, business and government are putting their weight behind a plan to make the UK more productive.

UK businesses will invest £2.4bn in employee training over the next three years as part of an IT skills action plan, launched by e-Skills UK, aims to close the productivity gap between the UK and its international competitors during the next three years.

Alongside the SSA for IT, Computing's Skills Roadmap analyses public and private sector organisations' specific skills requirements.

The roadmap traces the three stages of a technology worker's career: graduate, IT professional and IT director.

To help with the roadmap, we have put together a panel of industry experts, including Prudential chief information officer (CIO) John Worth, Thomas Cook's IT director Carl Dawson, and Aston University's director of ICT Fahri Zihni.

The Skills Roadmap shows that UK organisations will require certain specialisms in each level of IT worker during the next three years.

And increased interaction with the business and further flexibility of roles mean IT graduates, professionals and directors will need all the help they can get in an ever-changing market.