Firms join forces to plug skills gap

An alliance of vendors, training organisations and recruitment agencies has promised to put aside rivalries to bridge the yawning IT skills gap, writes Lisa Kelly.

The non-profit Multi-Vendor Trading Alliance (MVTA) has enlisted the help of software companies such as Microsoft and Oracle, and recruitment agencies QA Myriad, and The 2000 Group, to provide information on training courses available across the country.

The courses are designed to better equip contractors to take on those jobs that are not being filled.

Despite a 10% growth in the IT industry last year, there is an estimated shortfall of some 75,000 employees.

A web site, mvta.co.uk, will provide links to all the organisations involved and a search facility for contractors to find the best local deals - including Internet-based courses aimed at cutting down travelling time.

Lianne Smith, marketing manager for QA Myriad, said: 'There is a need for collaborative knowledge. The recruitment agencies know what's going on as we are having to fill the shortages and deal with the skills gap from day to day.'

Smith said the biggest recruitment problem is that technology moves forward so quickly.

'New software releases are coming out all the time and it is a battle for contractors to keep up. They have to get extra training and update their skills on a continuous basis,' she said.

'In the past, employers used to be happy to have employees who could get by and learn the latest skills on the job.

'Now, things are changing and clients are becoming more fussy. They want contractors to be certified with the latest Oracle or Microsoft training,' Smith added.