CIOs look to non-technical graduates to fill IT roles

Experts have advised firms to look to non-technical staff to fill IT vacancies, after a new graduate recruitment report highlighted concerns about a shortage of technology experts.

The Association of Graduate Recruiters Summer Review surveyed the hiring plans of 242 UK companies, which between them are looking to employ almost 24,000 graduates this year. It found that IT roles accounted for nine per cent of all graduate vacancies across those firms, which included industry giants such as BA, Deloitte and Oracle, making it fourth highest in the list of number of vacancies by career area.

But the report also highlighted concerns among UK businesses about filling their IT vacancies, as almost a quarter of respondents expected to be affected by an IT skills shortage.

Firms concerned about a lack of suitable candidates to fill their graduate IT roles should instead consider those with non-technical qualifications, according to industry insiders.

“You don’t always need to recruit someone who has an IT degree or a PhD in programming,” said Sandra Smith, head of information systems at Toshiba UK. “Graduates with a variety of non-technology degrees still have the ability to have a successful career in IT because these days IT is more about being able to manage projects successfully from start to finish, while working in a team and taking into consideration the business strategy and objectives.”

John Gillard, graduate programme manager for technology services at Capgemini, said the consulting firm has already been applying this approach to IT recruitment.

“Over the last couple of years, Capgemini has struggled to find sufficient graduates with the right combination of IT and consulting skills purely from the IT graduate pool. This is not because of a falling calibre in IT graduates, rather the overall impact of the falling numbers of graduates finishing with an IT degree,” he explained. “This has led us to look for graduates from all degree disciplines. We are looking for people who want to be business consultants with a passion for technology, and want to work in close partnership with our customers.”

Smith added that by failing to consider graduates from other disciplines for IT roles, non-technical companies are giving the impression that only a technology vendor will offer appropriate training and career advancement. “Offering on-the-job training or even an apprenticeship can ensure graduates are more attracted towards a job in IT,” she advised.