HP and De Montfort University deliver new IT degree

HP and De Montfort University (DMU) have launched a new undergraduate degree that they hope will make young people more employable within the IT profession.

The course is a four-year BSc Business Informatics degree which will focus on technical skills such as IT services management, project management, networking, servers and storage, cloud computing and virtualisation.

The university hopes the course will accept between 50 and 70 students for its first year, to start in September 2012.

"These skills are not developed on other courses. The degree will mean that students not only know how technology is used but also how to apply it in a working environment," Nick Wilson, vice president and managing director at HP UK and Ireland, told Computing.

In the third year of the degree programme, students can undertake internships. HP hope to offer a minimum of 20 or 30 placements, although this will depend on demand and on the economy.

Students from all universities can apply for the HP placements, with a CV and application form. But Wilson said the students on the new degree will have an advantage because of the partnership between HP and DMU, and because the course itself allows students to become more practical.

"The world is too tough at the moment; universities and companies need to work together to make employable graduates with all of the essential skills," said Wilson.

The minister for universities and science David Willetts said that the course is a good example of how universities and businesses can work together to "drive growth and innovation".

"It will ensure students have both the high-tech skills and the business acumen needed to keep the UK at the forefront of technology," he said in a statement.

The partnership with DMU is part of HP's global strategy to support the development of science and technology education.