10 Sep 2009
The
UK faces an increasing threat of having insufficient skilled IT leaders to take
the technology profession forward, according to a growing number of industry
experts.
The wave of redundancies prompted by the recession, the growth in outsourcing and technology changes have created a potential time bomb as traditional career paths to IT management disappear.
For these reasons, Computing is launching Tomorrow’s IT Leaders, a campaign aimed at analysing the impact of these changes and providing a career roadmap for aspiring IT managers.
Recent research confirms the scale of the skills challenge faced by the IT profession:
The NOA also predicts a new wave of IT offshoring in 2010, with growth of 10 per cent forecast as application development activity picks up and firms find they now have insufficient in-house skills. This will mean an additional £250m of work and 7,700 IT jobs outsourced next year. This will happen even though firms maintain that access to knowledge is the main driver for outsourcing, with 59 per cent of IT leaders surveyed by The IT Job Board saying outsourcing offers skills they do not have in-house.
Anecdotal evidence also highlights the emerging IT leadership skills gap. One IT leader told Tif that his firm expects “dramatic cuts” in its 750-strong IT department through the outsourcing of large parts of its IT operations. Another Tif member expects 30 full-time staff to go and plans to outsource people from 2010, which will mean further reductions. Another has shed 150 IT staff, about 50 per cent of the department.
Overall, some 140,000 new IT staff will be needed annually until 2012 to fill high-level positions in UK organisations, according to e-Skills UK. But that scale of new entrants is simply not appearing.
“I am not convinced that there is sufficient throughput of IT professionals with the rounded skill sets needed to operate in high-level positions to meet this demand,” said Sam Gordon, director of recruitment firm Harvey Nash’s chief information officer (CIO) practice.
Computing’s campaign aims to identify the key skills required by tomorrow’s IT leaders and help today’s IT staff to map the personal and career development path they need to reach the top of their profession.
“The health of the UK economy depends on the ability of IT professionals and the CIOs of the future to derive business benefit from technology,” said Karen Price, e-Skills UK chief executive.
“To build such a skills pool, we need to understand the impact of trends such as global labour sourcing and the UK’s growing demand for high-level multi-disciplinary skills.”
As businesses struggle to survive during the recession, the lack of training has become a major concern, said technology expert Don Tapscott, author of Wikinomics and Grown Up Digital.
“There will always be demand for IT workers, so up-to-date training is essential, not only for those just entering the workforce but also IT veterans who must refresh repeatedly their knowledge base as technology evolves,” he said.
Tomorrow’s IT Leaders will also investigate how the current crop of top IT directors are going about ensuring that their organisations possess the internal expertise needed to thrive after the recession.
One example is British Airways, which has managed to continue focusing on the development of its future IT leaders even after a 30 per cent budget cut.
“Ensuring that businesses, government and voluntary sectors all have leaders who understand how technology is changing the world and what IT can do is vital for all our futures,” said BA CIO Paul Coby.
“Smart leadership of IT is the UK’s ticket out of this recession into a prosperous and tech-savvy future.”
Today’s IT leaders back Tomorrow’s IT Leaders
“Understanding of how IT can improve efficiency must be implemented
throughout companies. Evidence of such leadership in UK firms will help bring us
out of this downturn and in shape to tackle the tough challenges ahead.”
Catherine Doran, director of corporate development at Network Rail and
2008 winner of Computing’s IT Leader of the Year award
“We need to do more as a country to develop future managers and also as a CIO
community in terms of self-promotion in leadership. But there are only a small
number of people out there who really are leaders.”
Martin Wyke, chief technology and information officer, Virgin
Media
“There is a huge opportunity to get people excited about how IT can enable
business to be more competitive, but we need the right communication and
education programmes.”
Ben Wishart, chief information officer, Whitbread Group
“Technical skills will change, but the commercial and interpersonal skills of IT
leaders will always be critical, which is why the discussion on leadership is so
important.”
Jane Kimberlin, IT director, Domino’s Pizza
“You see people who are product experts but do not have anything else. That
is why businesses should look at their talent pools and have clear progression
plans to ensure human capital is developed properly.”
Mark Vickery, group IS and change director, Premier Foods
Also online this week as part of our campaign:
IBM
White Paper
download
Evolving Role of the CIO:
Leadership,Capability and Culture
I have heard this argument being banded about for some time now and have even been asked to comment on it but I feel it needs further clarification and detailed explanation.
Those that feel there is a shortage of skilled business / IT leaders, should be very explicit about what it is that they are looking for and which they then feel is in short supply. Do they want people that have come through the ranks from within their own companies or at least through the same vertical industries / business sectors? Will anyone do that has the relevant experience, gained from within one or two companies in any sector? Surely a combination of technical and business qualifications together with diverse, successful experience, not forgetting the tenacity and personal drive of the individual, should produce prime candidates?
I can only assume that the search for these leaders is being directed internally (within own companies / business sector) and any attempt to look externally is being unsuccessfully driven by unqualified, commission driven recruitment companies / agents. This, coupled with a negative hereditary attitude towards 'contractors' or 'interim' workers, eliminates those potential leaders.
I started in IT as a Cobol programmer over 25 years ago, since then I moved away from IT and have held many different roles in many diverse industries. I became an Industrial Engineer for one of the worlds biggest motor manufacturers, I have owned successful businesses, I have travelled to many countries. I re-entered the IT industry over 15 years ago and now having over 30 different qualifications in IT and business related fields, having worked in Finance, Government, Retail, Manufacturing and the Airline sectors, having achieved some the highest membership statuses in the IT industry (Msc, FBCS CITP, CISSP, CISA, etc) - I am being refused at the very first hurdle for any permanent senior roles. This is because I have worked as a 'contractor' or 'interim' worker for the last 15 years. This work has been for some of the most recognised companies in the world and the UK. These roles have varied over the years but over the last few years I have held lead architect and Interim CTO / Chief Architect. Due to the current financial crisis, I have struggled to find work and am now having to work as a Technical Team Leader.
What I envisaged as a means to achieving the breadth and depth of knowledge required to hold a senior IS position in any industry / business sector, has now become the very thing that is stopping me. I study every night, I subscribe to various business (Leadership & Strategy) and IT (CBR, Computing, etc) periodicals, I listen to Management pod casts, I am studying French - I train 4 times a week, where I swim a mile and then ride a gym bike for 36 - 50 KMs. I am happily married with 2 children and another on the way.
Why is it then that I am unable to even get past any recruitment agent or search and select company in order to extol my virtues and present my capabilities as a potential CIO / Head of IT to any reputable company? I have references that will sell me and my capabilities in the very best light, in fact, every company I have worked for has offered me a permanent position. These were refused for various reasons but predominantly because I was trying to achieve the 'breadth, depth and diversity of knowledge ' that I still feel is necessary in order to successfully hold the position of CIO.
At 43 years of age, I am now considering immigrating back to South Africa (after 18 years) or to Australia in order to further my career as all that the UK can offer at present is a step back or a position in the Job Seekers queue.
I welcome any feedback and my email details are available from the editor.
Posted by: Keith Youens 13 Sep 2009
"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." - JFK.
I read with interest your article. I have been within the IT industry for approximately 15 years. I became fascinated by IT while I was managing my own business. The business was subsequently sold to make way for my new IT career, throttled along by John Major's promise of Europe's largest semiconductor plant to be built locally in Wales by LG that was badly timed as the semiconductor market shrank soon after and LG never moved in. IT jobs were at their peak with such a shortage that I remember reading Computing and Computer Weekly editions almost an inch think, primarily with IT related jobs.
How did I go about doing that? Well, having left school without any O or A levels, I studied part time towards a HNC Business and Finance while working full time and followed that with a B.Sc (Hons) Business Information Technology. During the degree, I found a placement at a local business and by the time I qualified, I had been working in an IT department for a few years. Comptia, Prince 2 Practitioner and ITIL qualifications followed with full membership of the Institution of Electronics and Technology.
In 2005, I joined a business and subsequently became the Head of IT. Redundancy followed in 2006 and since then I have struggled to get back into the role of IT management. I have survived by being a contractor and since June 2009 have struggled to even find a contract.
I have both the business and IT skills required as I not only have managed a few of my own businesses but did come through the IT ranks having started as an assistant network administrator. The statistics that I am reading are most interesting. 40% of CIOs are sourced external to the IT department, 54% of IT staff feel that there is no scope for progression, 14% of 2008?s IT graduates are still unemployed and in 2010 7,700 more IT jobs will be outsourced. Here is both a statistic and fact, in 2008-9, BT received 4800 applications for 130 jobs!
I have no doubt in my mind and agree with your article that we are sat on a skills shortage time bomb. We are experiencing a shortfall of people applying for IT degrees as many students realise that there is no scope to enter the IT profession, after all, why would a business want to employ a local graduate for the average graduate salary of £17.5K when they can get three outsourced graduates as part of an outsourcing contract. I highlighted this in my blog, recently, The future graduate and the IT and computing skills shortage - http://tinyurl.com/skillshortage .
The recent decision by the government to ensure that job vacancies are advertised in local job centres and Job Centre Plus online for at least a month prior to allowing foreign talent is a step in the right direction. That combined with appropriate IT degrees/qualifications that are aimed at meeting business requirements (View my blog, as above for more detail) is what is required.
If on the other hand, we as a nation can only pay our IT graduates a salary that is just above the minimum wage, then we are destined to be followed by an industry dominated by the large outsourcers. I am passionate about IT and what it can achieve and remain committed to do what I can to further this cause. So, Computing, when you need assistance please do call on me...
In the meantime, I have what it takes to be a CIO, are there any takers out there? Anyone who doubts me or my skills is welcome to visit my blog on my perspective on what makes IT work - http://mubbisherahmed.wordpress.com.
Posted by: Mubbisher Ahmed 11 Sep 2009
Speaking for myself as an IT leader, and also of my peers in leadership positions in the IT world, we all gained our passion for high-tech at a young age. Today's ICT courses are turning kids off IT, and are viewed as "for thickies". When I was 12 I was learning at school to make the BBC Micro draw pretty shapes and play tunes - that is what ICT should be, not Access and Word!
We need both girls and boys to be encouraged towards IT and high-tech, and out of them will emerge both the Indians and the Chiefs that we so badly need.
Kate.
http://kate.craig-wood.com
Posted by: Kate Craig-Wood, Memset Ltd. 10 Sep 2009
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