IT skills crisis requires a joint effort

By Lara Williams

The marriage between IT and business saw some initial cultural resistance, but has emerged as an enduring partnership which ultimately brings benefits to both.

But as IT departments increasingly align their aims and objectives with business, the further they distance themselves from academia.

And there lies a problem.

If the IT profession is to address its ever-growing skills gap, it needs to take swift measures to correct the mismatch between higher education programmes and the real-world skills required to remain competitive in a global market.

The definition of IT talent has changed over the past decade, and as technical roles move offshore, most employers are no longer looking for pure technologists.

But universities have not responded quickly enough to the shift, and are failing to fulfil the IT department’s need for business and project management skills.

Universities and employers need to work together to address the challenge because the UK IT community underpins the British economy as it moves towards a knowledge-based productivity model.

Higher education provision no longer adequately reflects the needs of the IT market. Universities need to adapt curricula to develop highly-skilled individuals with a broad range of IT and business skills.

A review by The Council for Industry and Higher Education found applications for computer science degrees dropped 29 per cent from 2003 to 2006, while A-level candidates dropped by almost half.

This haemorrhaging of computer science candidates should be a wake-up call to education institutions across the country.

Last month, prime minister Gordon Brown set up the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, which is a sign that government is committed to upgrading the workforce.

And the Brown-commissioned Leitch Review of Skills will launch its implementation plan backed by a prime minister, rather than a chancellor. Hopefully this will give it more influence.

But the most significant practical measure to date is a new IT management for business (ITMB) degree pioneered by sector skills body e-Skills UK.

The first ITMB students graduate next year. The course offers a mix of IT and business skills and was designed with input from employers to develop students for senior IT roles.

However, despite a number of universities offering the course, it is not yet an option at major research-led institutions such as Southampton University and Imperial College, where the best and brightest are said to be found.

Without widespread acceptance, the new qualification risks sending a signal to prospective students that courses incorporating business skills are less valued and a lower grade of academic achievement.

First-class universities need to incorporate soft skills into their curricula, as they are now an integral part of the IT profession. They need to realise their students will not fare well in the workplace without them.

The future of the UK economy will depend on the development of these high-level candidates.