With skills shortages starting to grow again as e-commerce and
other projects are launched after the year 2000 hiatus, nearly 60%
of managers questioned for training specialist NETg see high pay as
the key to keeping IT staff, writes John Kavanagh.
Indeed, 61% believe rising salaries are one of the main effects
of the growing gap between IT skills supply and demand.
This return to 1980s thinking is further reflected in the
finding that only 1- in-10 IT directors sees training as an
effective way to keep staff. Although 80% think easier access to
training, for example through computer-based methods, would
help.
In addition, despite demand from staff for supplier
qualifications from the likes of Microsoft and Novell, only 8% of
IT directors currently believe that offering certified training
would help to retain staff. In fact, 60% do not think it is
important to employ certified staff.
All the IT directors surveyed are finding it hard to recruit
staff, especially those with networking and certain programming
skills - and 75% of them believe this is hitting competitiveness.
More than half are suffering delays in important projects. And 52%
say they are losing profits as a direct result.
"The IT skills gap continues to be a problem, but nothing
concrete seems to be being done to solve it," says NETg director
Pam Burton.
"Our survey shows that the lack of skilled IT people is
affecting profits and overall business success. This will continue
unless better training is provided. Training must not be seen as an
inconvenience. We have to realise that providing effective training
is critical to business success, which increasingly depends on
highly productive skilled people."
Lack of attention to training is underlined by the finding that
only 8% of IT directors currently tailor it to individual's needs,
even though more than three-quarters believe that better targeting
would help people learn more. Standard classroom training off-site
is still the most popular.
Lack of end-user training is also hitting IT departments, the
study shows.
"Users are having to regularly call IT departments with simple
queries," Burton says. "More than 95% of IT departments have to
deal with user problems that should have been covered on training
courses".
The survey also highlights a communications gap between IT and
personnel departments.
Despite the shortages problem revealed by the IT directors
questioned, 36% of personnel directors are completely unaware of
the concept of the IT skills gap.