Companies should not choose 'perfect' IT staff, says jobs guru

SMEs should be less picky when choosing IT candidates if the UK is to begin plugging the skills gap, according to Jeff Brooks, chair of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation for technology, following the release of a skills report last week.

Brooks explained that too many SMEs are looking for a perfect candidate rather than a graduate with potential. He said that if they took a long-term, more forward-thinking approach, they would be "rewarded with a competent worker, who would cost an employer less and stay with the company longer".

The REC research paper, entitled Skills Shortages in the ICT Workplace, provides a number of reasons for the skills gap in ICT, and offers advice to recruiters and employers that will help address the issue.

The reasons for the shortage include: poor pay when compared with other sectors preventing people moving into the sector; the perception of IT workers as geeks; a reluctance to train for a vocational career such as IT; that technology is perceived as too fast-changing; and the fact that outsourcing has led to the belief that there are no entry-level IT jobs.

Brooks explained that in many ways the outlook is bright: "The number of vacancies within our sector has held up throughout the economic downturn because employers are investing more in IT to enhance productivity, reduce costs and drive their future growth. However, shortages currently being experienced give IT recruiters and their clients an ideal opportunity to influence the skills agenda, both in the short and long term.

"Educators, employers, recruiters and the government really need to get to grips with the whole issue to find practical solutions that will influence and inspire young people to consider a career in IT," Brooks said.

The paper recommends that recruitment agencies should work with schools, universities and employers to encourage young people to take ICT-related courses and qualifications. It also said that recruitment agencies should provide expertise to employers, such as telling them what the top universities for particular IT roles are.

"Two main things need to happen: first, the government has to step up and say that a career in IT is great, that candidates are necessary and that it is crucial for the UK. Second, the Department for Education has to invest in its sector as ICT teachers are currently only qualified to teach Word and Excel as opposed to things that an IT practitioner should know," said Brooks.

Brooks believes that students would benefit from being taught computer science as opposed to ICT in school, as it could give them invaluable skills as a developer and a real interest in advancing these with an apprenticeship or degree.