Four UK universities have launched a degree course that
combines IT, business and communication in a move backed by
companies including Ford, Morgan Stanley and Norwich
Union.
To address companies' needs for combined IT and business skills,
the universities have designed a course that combines academic
learning and industry-related content.
Government sector skills council E-Skills UK has been working on
the project over the past few years in response to industry demand
for IT professionals who also understand business issues and
possess communication skills.
The IT management for business course, which started this month,
is initially being offered by the University of Greenwich, Reading
University, University of Central England and Northumbria
University. Eventually, E-Skills UK hopes 22 universities will
offer the course.
Karen Price, chief executive of E-Skills UK, said, "The changing
IT skills landscape means that the IT managers of the future will
need to bridge the gap between business and IT, requiring a
combination of business, management and interpersonal skills as
well as technical competencies.
"By working in partnership with companies such as Lehman
Brothers, Norwich Union and BT, we have created a degree that has a
strong focus on teamwork and managing real projects, to get
students contributing faster to overall productivity and reduce
employers' training costs."
Employers are engaged with students throughout the course,
offering input on content and a series of business lectures.
The first of these "Business Guru" lectures will be delivered
today (11 October) by Chris Winter, a distinguished technology
engineer at IBM.
Howard Newby, chief executive of the Higher Education Funding
Council for England, said, "It makes sense to deliver a degree that
responds to what employers actually need.