IP staff shortfall leads Screwfix to outsource

Networking skills demand set to grow even further

Strong demand for skilled internet protocol (IP) networking professionals has forced mail order DIY firm Screwfix Direct

to outsource the implementation of its IP network.

The Kingfisher Group subsidiary has turned to the services division of The Logic Group to install the network in its new offices and customer call centre, after struggling to find skilled staff to do the work in-house.

‘We could have found the specialist networking skills ourselves, but that would have been expensive and we didn’t have time to bring them up to speed,’ said Screwfix Direct technical projects manager Simon Trowbridge. ‘We not only have the technical skills for the deployment phase, but we also have some knowledge to transfer to our existing team.’

Screwfix’s recruitment difficulty is becoming increasingly common, according to a study published this week by researcher IDC on behalf of networking giant Cisco.

The IDC report predicts significant Europe-wide shortages in the IP networking recruitment market, and says the UK is likely to need an additional 39,500 skilled professionals in the sector by 2008 to meet demand.

One in three of the 950 large European enterprises questioned in the survey had recruited IP networking specialists in the past 12 months. But half of those companies that had recruited staff found it difficult to locate suitable people with the right set of skills.

Some 69 per cent of respondents think wireless networking skills will increase in importance, while 57 per cent say the same about IP telephony skills.