A national IT skills action plan backed by employers,
the government and universities aims to reduce the productivity gap
between the UK and its European rivals within three
years.
The programme, due to be launched today (14 June) by education
secretary Ruth Kelly, aims to create a new generation of IT
professionals that have the business and communications skills
employers say are essential for competing internationally.
The publication of the action plan is the culmination of a year
of work by employers, academics and government, as reported over
the year by Computer Weekly, to win financial resources and backing
for a series of national programmes to plug gaps in the way IT
professionals are trained.
"A long-term strategy to ensure broader, deeper and
ever-evolving IT skills across all sectors of the economy is
fundamental to our productivity and competitiveness," said
Kelly.
Employers and the government are backing a programme of 12
initiatives, known as the sector skills agreement for IT, which aim
to transform the way IT is taught in schools and universities, and
to ensure the brightest candidates are attracted into the
profession.
British Airways, Ford, IBM, Norwich Union, Lehman Brothers,
Cisco and EDS are among the companies to have offered time and
resources to the plan, co-ordinated by sector skills council
E-Skills UK. The government will provide matching funding.
British Airways chief information officer Paul Corby said the
agreement would help employers address gaps in the skills of their
workforce.
"We are well aware of the skills shortages in the industry.
Employers of IT professionals spend more than any other sector on
training, equating to a staggering £2.4bn over three years. The
sector skills agreement for IT will ensure investment in IT skills
development delivers maximum benefit," he said.
Astra Zeneca CIO Paul Burfitt said, "This is a long-needed
action plan, offering targeted training routes to students and
employees at all levels. It is designed to fulfil employer
needs."
The organisations backing the agreement have agreed to provide
staff time, resources and funding to develop IT qualifications for
universities and schools, simplify the existing array of IT
qualifications, and create an e-business academy.
BT, Ford, Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley and Norwich Union are
backing the creation of employer-led IT degrees for universities
that will devote equal time to technology, business studies and
communication skills.
The universities of Greenwich, Reading, Central England and
Northumbria will offer the first of the new style courses, taking
on 1,000 students by the end of the year. Courses will be rolled
out to 18 further universities by 2008.
An IT diploma for students aged between 14 and 19, also focusing
on business and IT skills, will be rolled out to schools within
three years to plug what employers see as a significant gap in
education.
A third element of the programme will bring employers together
to develop careers literature for schools and universities to
encourage the brightest students to enter the IT profession.
BA, Ford, Norwich Union, Accenture and KPMG are supporting plans
to create an employer-backed network of computer clubs for girls in
3,600 schools to encourage more young women to consider careers in
IT.
BT, Orange, and Marconi are backing the creation of an
e-business academy, which will offer IT professionals accelerated
learning in business and technical skills. The academy will also
train business managers in IT.
There will be help for small firms in training their IT staff,
and programmes to help schools and colleges teach pupils how to use
IT. An initiative to help employers identify gaps in the IT skills
of their workforce is also planned.
E-Skills UK chief executive Karen Price said, "Businesses and
the entire UK economy are dependent on having a workforce with the
right IT skills. The sector skills agreement for IT is the first
time employers, industry, the education sector and government have
joined together on this scale to collaborate on UK IT skills
improvement," she said.
Industry support
Development of IT master of business degree and IT
diplomas
Ford, Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, Norwich Union,
BT.
Development of e-skills passport to help organisations measure
the skills of workers that need to use IT, and qualification for
user skills
Sainsbury, Lloyds TSB, Inland Revenue, Ministry of Defence,
Accenture.
Simplification of IT qualifications
MoD, Department for Education and Skills, RAF, EDS, BT, Orange,
02.
Providing volunteers to help computer clubs for girls
British Airways, Ford, Norwich Union.
Providing advisory support for computer clubs for girls
Accenture, Ford, BT, KPMG.