The failure of universities to keep pace with the demand for
skilled IT staff is encouraging employers to turn to graduates from
the arts and other disciplines to fill IT vacancies.
The number of non-IT graduates moving into the IT profession now
exceeds the number of IT graduates by a third, research by the
Alliance for Information Systems Skills reveals.
Its findings show that although the volume of IT graduates has
grown steadily in recent years, the numbers are still well below
the level needed to satisfy demand.
"The growth in IT students is welcome and quite remarkable given
the constraints universities are under, but it's not keeping up
with the growth of the IT workforce," said John O'Sullivan,
director of AISS, a coalition of employers, universities and
training organisations.
The number of non-IT graduates entering the profession grew from
around 3,500 in 1995 to 5,500 in 1998, while the number of IT
graduates entering the profession rose from 3,000 to 4,100.
The trend is particularly marked among companies using IT, where
the number of non-IT graduates joining the profession exceeded the
number of IT graduates by a factor of two by 1998, the most recent
year figures are available for.
Nearly 90% of organisations now provide IT technical training
and development for non-IT graduates in-house and through external
courses, AISS revealed.
The findings are contained in an unpublished report presented to
the Department of Trade and Industry at the end of last year which
attempts to address the need for stronger links between
universities and employers.
Despite some gloomy conclusions, the report has eased fears that
an unnaturally high proportion of IT graduates are leaving the
profession.
A comparison of IT with other key professions shows that the
drop-out rate for IT graduates is no higher than that for
engineering, accountancy and law, with two-thirds of graduates
choosing IT as a career.
Medicine is the only profession where a high proportion of
graduates continue with their chosen profession.
By 1988 just over half of Britain's 4,000 IT graduates chose
careers with IT suppliers, reflecting rapid growth in demand for
outsourcing, the research revealed.