A study commissioned by the UK’s Council of Professors and Heads of Computing (CPHC), predicted, this week, that demand for IT skills is expected to grow by 15% over the next 8 years.  This isn’t new news.  We know from an e-skills report that every year the technology industry itself is looking to recruit around 140,000 new staff and this is before companies in other sectors need to fill their further requirements.  Unfortunately this coincides with time when the number of computing students has dropped by almost 50% since 2001.  Intellect’s own President’s Report shows that the number of applicants for single subject computing courses has declined from 31,000 in 2001 to 16,000 in 2006.

The UK technology industry has long talked about and suffered from a skills shortage.  There are a number of good industry and company schemes looking at short-term and long-term solutions.  However, the problem too often is that industry, government, educators and customers have failed to tackle the solutions as a collective.  Schemes too often are started but then  run out of support or funding, and little is done  to challenge the perception of technology as an undesirable  career or degree.  There are many barriers to increasing the number of computer graduates, from changing the teaching of IT at school to changing the perceptions of parents, students and teachers .  Of course, funding to encourage students to take these courses will help, but we must work to also change the image the industry and careers project. 

It is no longer just an issue for the technology industry and its customers, the shortage will, and already is, going to have real impacts on all industries from public sector, to finance, to retail and teaching.  Technological competence is a core skill, in the same way as literacy and numeracy.  It is important not only for industry but to ensure citizens do not face exclusion in any aspects of their lives.  Technology will only increase in its importance to the UK and we would all be better able to reap the benefits of technology with a more skilled society and workforce.

We must ensure that we all work together to find workable and effective solutions to these falling numbers of graduates.  We must promote all opportunities, role models and career paths and should encourage people to retrain or return to our industry.  The UK needs a lot more technologists and at present we don’t have the numbers of students going into further education which will provide industry with the skills required to ensure the UK remains competitive in a global knowledge economy.   

By Carrie Hartnell, Programme Manager