Workers will increasingly have to finance their own
training if government, unions and the IT industry do not address
the changing skills landscape resulting from increased offshore
outsourcing, experts have warned.
As a growing number of UK companies outsource IT systems and
business processes to countries with cheap and highly skilled
staff, such as China and India, IT professionals will have to take
more responsibility for their professional development, according
to Philip Virgo, strategic adviser to the Institute for the
Management of Information Systems.
Several training firms already offer tailored training packages for
individual IT staff in return for a fixed annual fee, said
Virgo.
"The competition for IT skills is increasingly international as a
result of more offshore outsourcing," he said. "As we seem to be
coming out of a recession, you could have expected to see a gradual
skills shortage developing in the UK, but that is not happening
because many more skills are being found in places such as China
and India. It is understandable for companies to look at this
option and, unless more is done to help them finance their
training, IT workers here will see less invested in their
development."
Like IT trade body Intellect, Imis called for tax breaks for staff
training from chancellor Gordon Brown ahead of the budget.
"We currently have the ludicrous situation of those going to
university being given help in the form of subsidy, and those
paying for training in the commercial world being taxed for it,"
said Virgo.
But Terry Watts, chief operating officer at IT training
bodyE-Skills UK, said UK companies would continue to depend on
skilled in-house IT staff despite the growing popularity of
offshore outsourcing.
"It is true that networks have improved considerably over the past
few years to make it easier to outsource abroad, and companies will
continue to be tempted to save money, but many areas of IT are not
fully commoditised, so a company still needs internal skills," he
said.
Watts said the biggest fear IT staff should have about their jobs
was not a lack of training as a result of offshore outsourcing, but
an increase in the level of automation, which will make many IT
functions redundant. Many employers are increasing the training
offered to existing staff in the face of tough business conditions
because it is cheaper than hiring new staff, Watts added.
Leah McTaggart, spokeswoman for QA Training and Consulting, said
offshore outsourcing has had no effect so far on the demand on her
company to provide training to UK staff. "Certification is still
high on the agenda for most companies, with skills connected to
project management among the highest in demand, as firms look to
spend more as we come out of recession," she said.