New skills initiative aims to combat fall in IT degrees

Sector skills body e-Skills UK will work with employers and universities to boost take-up

Universities and employers must work together effectively

Sector skills body e-Skills UK is today launching a new initiative to address falling take up of IT-related university courses.

The Revitalise IT scheme aims to address the 46 per cent drop in IT-related degrees since 2001, which has taken place while the industry has seen growth of almost 100 per cent in the last 12 years, from 550,000 to one million employees.

The campaign, supported by the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) will bring together employers and the education sector to identify areas for improvement.

Awareness-raising is also a large component of the launch, said e-Skills UK director of Revitalise IT, Paul Learoyd.

“We want to engage schools and universities to really explain to students the benefits they can get from a career in IT and what that really involves,” said Learoyd.

Revitalise IT aims to reach more than 40,000 students by working with 10 universities and up to 20 employers through workshops and online initiatives.

“We will engage with universities at programme level and affect change in some curricula to help them provide more appropriate skills for employers,” said Learoyd.

The launch follows publication in June of the government’s implementation plan for the recommendations outlined in last year's Treasury-commissioned Leitch Review of Skills.

“Our programme is aligned to the Leitch agenda, which encourages employer interaction with universities, and we want to use it as a model to show how universities can work with employers effectively,” said Learoyd.

Companies involved in the campaign include Vodafone, Microsoft, LogicaCMG, BBC, Cisco, Apple, Accenture and John Lewis.