IT recruitment has fallen through the floor. Reports abound about
the severity of the situation. One shows a drop from 57,000 jobs
advertised in the UK in 2001 to only 6,000 in 2002. Yet government
figures point to a widening IT skills gap. How has this
contradiction come about? And is there a solution?
One doesn't become skilled and employable without training and
qualification. IT skills, however, need to be defined by employers
in order for training providers and certification companies to meet
that requirement. More worrying, therefore, is the question: are UK
employers clearly defining the skills needed and are enough
opportunities provided to IT staff to certify themselves to the
standards required?
The UK market is suffering more than any other European country. A
recent IT conference, Strategies 2002, highlighted that mature
markets in the UK, Germany and Netherlands are hardest hit, with a
21% decrease in IT training in the UK alone.
For those beginning or seeking a career in IT, getting skilled
quickly and effectively is vital to securing employment. For
professionals hoping to specialise or be re-skilled, choosing the
wrong qualifications could be detrimental. The speed at which
technology develops demands an ever-evolving and skilled workforce
and, despite troubled economic times, cutting IT training budgets
is simply not an option in a market where only the fittest survive.
There are over 100 different UK IT certifications in the market.
However, the records of these are scattered over numerous databases
held by different training organisations and IT suppliers. An
employer would find it unreasonably difficult to validate a
prospective employee's certification, especially if that prospect
has held a number of positions in different companies or countries
over the years.
Global IT accreditations hold the key. The Computing Technology
Industry Association was set up by industry players to provide
supplier-neutral global certifications that guarantee IT
professionals meet a particular standard of proficiency
internationally. Industry players such as Microsoft, IBM, Cisco and
Ericsson have adopted global certification programmes into their
own training syllabuses. So why don't we hear more about it?
Employers still have to address a number of issues before we
witness widespread adoption.
Research from the association and Gartner discovered that global
employers perceived the greatest drawbacks to certifying staff as
the cost of training and testing, time away from the office and
fear of employee disloyalty after training. Some 40% of employers
were concerned that sponsoring certification would encourage staff
to move on to another job.
However, employers which have gone down the global certification
route realised greater productivity, a higher level of service and
better credibility and staff retention. Some 60% of these employees
recognised productivity gains from certified staff. In truth, it is
more cost effective to train and nurture existing staff than it is
to recruit new staff.
I am not saying that the demise of our IT recruitment market and
skills gap lies purely on the shoulders of UK employers. UK
colleges and schools still have to find common ground between what
is being taught and map that to what skills the industry needs. IT
training organisations need to identify niche technologies to meet
the growing needs of our industry professionals. Tax credits to aid
the planning of investment in e-skills and training will encourage
an atmosphere of continuous development.
Public recognition of the industry's global training certifications
will allow IT qualifications to be properly benchmarked so there is
greater certainty about the real value of certifications.
In the long term, we need to take all these steps to ensure a
prosperous and healthy industry. But if UK industry does not
recognise the importance of training and certification now, the
situation for the IT industry in the UK will only worsen. Training
and global certification is only one of many steps needed to keep
the industry moving forward, but at least it is a step in the right
direction.
Mathew Poyiadgi is regional director UK and Scandinavia at the
Computing Technology Industry Association