UK IT has a chance to address its skills needs

UK IT is facing greater challenges today in meeting the skills needs of employers than at any time in its history.

Just consider a few facts:

* Traditional IT jobs such as programming are increasingly being moved to lower-cost, offshore locations

* Fewer students are choosing to study computers at A Level and university.

* The number of women working in IT has nearly halved since 1999

* More than 150,000 new entrants into the IT workforce are forecast to be required every year for the next decade

* 20 million people now use IT in their everyday work

Technology is becoming increasingly an everyday part of how we all live and work, placing greater demands on the experts providing, using and supporting IT.

For the first time, a co-ordinated approach is being proposed to establish a long-term framework to ensure that these needs are met.

The IT Sector Skills Agreement (SSA) produced by sector skills council e-skills UK aims to put in place a coherent strategy that unites employers, government and educators.

'When sector skills councils were established, the promise from government was that employers would have real influence on the education and training system, both for those entering the workforce and those who need upskilling and reskilling,' e-skills UK chief executive Karen Price told Computing.

'The SSA sets down the mechanics of how that will happen.'

Talking to employers

Based upon what e-skills claims is the 'most exhaustive research ever undertaken' in the UK on this subject, the SSA identifies nine key trends that are changing the environment for IT (see below) and proposes 12 actions to deliver the skills required (see below).

Price has talked extensively with employers to help create the SSA, and says the government is committed to acting on their feedback.

'I have to demonstrate that employers are backing the strategy. If I can do that, the government has promised to deliver,' she said.

'For me, it's about working one on one with different organisations such as the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Trade and Industry. It's about working with vice chancellors of universities, with our nine regions in England plus Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. They are sitting there waiting for the SSA so they can deliver it.'

Chancellor Gordon Brown is expected to announce in his pre-Budget report an increased focus on developing high-value skills in science, engineering and technology to compete with the growth of the Indian and Chinese economies - re-enforcing the importance of the SSA to UK IT.

'It's all about global competitiveness, what will we do to maintain competitiveness,' said Price.

'Gordon Brown's announcement will put all of this centre stage. It is about positioning the UK to remain competitive in a global marketplace.'

A growing IT workforce

The SSA covers the needs of IT professionals, business managers and users.

The IT workforce is expected to grow at an average of 1.5 to 2.2 per cent a year for the next decade, reaching more than 1.5 million workers by 2014. In addition, more than four million business managers and leaders need to understand how to make the most of IT for their organisation.

Price wants employers, workers and educators across all sectors to be involved in producing the final SSA, due to be released in March 2005 and put in place from 1 April. The version released this week is a draft for consultation.

'Employers need to become more actively engaged with the UK's training and education infrastructure to help prepare students for successful careers and lives in the changing landscape of the IT-enabled world,' says the SSA report.

'Educators from schools onward need to work closely with employers to understand the implications of technological change on students for the future. Government and its agencies play key roles as enablers of change,' it says.

'They will require new strategies, changes to policies predicated on traditional industrial models, and increased focus on improving interlock between employers and educators.'

The need for many of the measures proposed in the SSA is already significant.

Research by analyst Gartner for e-skills UK suggests that 34 per cent of businesses with vacancies for IT staff are struggling to fill the roles (Computing, 4 November).

Some 42 per cent of those companies say this shortage is affecting their operations - hitting fundamental areas such as product development, costs and customer service.

And the SSA says there is an increasing focus on non-technical skills such as relationship management, contract management and change management - the IT services sector alone is expecting an 80 per cent growth in management roles by 2012.

But as with any major initiative such as this, the question is - who pays?

'There won't be new money behind it,' said Price.

'But it is a refocusing of existing money into universities, schools and colleges, and private training provision. It should also mean there is a landscape out there so employers can invest in their own workforce, buying things that are fit for purpose at a better market price.'

Get involved

But the ultimate measure of success will be whether the affected parties buy into the SSA and get involved in making it work.

Price is keen to find companies that are willing to take a leading role.

'I'm asking people - what are they prepared to offer to do to help? For example, work placements, visiting lectureships, engaging with local schools and so on. I've been pleasantly surprised by the offers we've had from employers,' she said.

And Computing readers are invited to give their opinions too (see below).

'Readers can log onto the consultation web site,' said Price.

'There are two things to do - to comment on the collaborative solutions we have come up with and to prioritise them in terms of importance, and to suggest things that have been missed - this is absolutely a consultation. And there's an opportunity to volunteer from 1 April onwards to get involved in delivering this and making it happen. People could go into universities, offer better work placements, a range of things where they can get involved.'

UK IT has complained of skills shortages for many years - now it has an opportunity to work together to build a lasting solution.

Nine key technology trends

The e-skills UK research identified nine trends that are changing the demands on IT professionals and users and impacting on the future skills needs of the industry:

* New channel strategies: As technologies such as the internet change the way organisations trade with customers and business partners, IT infrastructures and even business models are changing as a result.

* Remote and collaborative working: Broadband access and wireless communication are enabling a more mobile workforce, bringing cultural and skills changes to organisations

* Standardisation: Lower cost, standardised technology is making IT more available for small businesses and opening up new business opportunities

* Outsourcing and 'geosourcing': Increasingly, traditional IT roles such as programming are moving offshore, and the skills needed in the UK will be for higher value roles combining business, project and technical know-how

* The 'Infoglut': As the volumes of data produced grows - some two billion gigabytes of unique information is created every year - business will look to exploit this information more effectively

* Privacy and security: With an increasing focus on tackling threats from hackers, viruses and organised crime, new approaches are being constantly developed. The cultural, legal and ethical implications of technology are coming to the fore.

* The i-generation workforce: From 2007, young people entering employment will have been brought up with the internet and mobile phones. Their tech-aware attitudes and expectations will present great challenges and opportunities to employers

* IT as a utility: Technologies such as grid computing will enable access to IT power and storage in the same manner as electricity, gas or telephony. This will allow advanced services to be provided to organisations that would not be able to use them otherwise.

* The social impact of computing: Understanding how people and IT interact will have implication for the way technology is developed and used. Exploring the possibilities will need skills in anthropology, sociology and psychology

The IT Sector Skills Agreement Action Plan

e-skills UK is proposing 12 actions that industry, government and academia will be asked to commit to.

Preparing the future workforce

Objective: to ensure the UK's education and training systems deliver the skills for high quality employment.

Actions:

1. IT Diploma: a new development route for academic, vocational and work-based learning for 14-19 year olds and beyond.

2. Honours degree: to work with universities to establish new degrees based on 'IT Management for Business'

3. Embedded modules: to create new modules on Innovation in IT within non-IT courses

4. e-skills Passport: A means to identify and develop an individual's skills against an employer-defined framework

Developing the existing workforce

Objective: To realise the potential of the workforce to exploit new technologies for improved business performance and productivity

Actions:

5. IT Academies: create UK and regional academies to accelerate the development of IT professionals

6. IT Academies plus: build on the academies to provide skills for small business managers in how to exploit IT

7. IT user development: increase the IT user skills of the two million UK employees using IT as part of their job

Improving the attractiveness of IT careers

Objective: To attract the necessary quantity, quality and diversity of people into IT careers

Actions:

8. Computer Clubs for Girls: rollout across the UK to encourage girls to enter technology-related careers

9. Careers advice: link employers, academia and careers organisations to improve understanding of careers and market demand

Addressing infrastructure matters

Objective: To place employers at the centre of skills infrastructure matters

Actions:

10. Qualifications: develop a simpler, more flexible structure for recognition of achievement, appropriate to employer needs

11. Business support: create a brokerage between employers and training providers to allow companies to quickly identify and access relevant training

12. The e-skills Exchange: create a new, web-enabled network linking supply and demand

How can you help?

E-skills UK is asking Computing readers to give their views on the draft Sector Skills Agreement.

By registering at www.e-skills.com/ssa, you can comment on the proposals and identify any areas that you feel have been missed.

And the organisation is looking for companies to volunteer to become involved in delivering the plan, by working with schools and universities to help put the actions in place.

We would like to know what you think too - email us at feedback@computing.co.uk