Gordon Brown’s March budget highlighted the chancellor’s
intention for the UK to “lead the world in the new industries and
technologies which will increasingly shape our
future”.
There is no doubt that the UK IT services and software industry
will play a huge part in that process, but it can only happen if
the industry builds a skills base that is more relevant to today’s
customer/business-driven environment than the technology-driven
environment of yesteryear.
Quite simply, businesses in the IT software and services
industry need to change the way they recruit, train and retain
their workforce and, in particular, their graduate trainees.
In the past, such companies looked for strong technical skills
in graduate recruits as a priority. Graduate trainees were more
likely to be in a back office coding software than meeting clients
to discuss business requirements from new technologies.
In my own company’s case, we recognised that the marketplace was
changing and that we needed to examine exactly what its businesses
and clients expected from graduate staff. We also looked at the
client and work contribution competencies that could make graduates
more effective more quickly and provide a skillset that is valued
by its clients.
That meant a comprehensive review of the graduate programme,
which now includes an emphasis on managing yourself, people skills,
client focus and work contribution, as well as more traditional
technical qualifications.
Focusing on people skills, graduates are encouraged to
understand how to resolve conflict, listen to and influence others,
actively network across the business, introduce new ideas and
challenge upwards in a constructive way.
One of the challenges for a graduate recruitment manager is how
to filter non-relevant applications out of the process. This is
especially tricky when you are looking for non-technical potential
in candidates, because checking the quality and accuracy of a piece
of programming or code is easier than assessing whether an
undergraduate will have relevant people skills.
A phone-based interview can play an important part in the
assessment process. Once it has been decided that a candidate’s
application may be strong enough to warrant a face-to-face
interview, a phone call can ascertain their suitability.
It means candidates who have the technical prowess but do not
exhibit the “softer skills”, can be weeded out before reaching the
next stage.
Employers should also take a fresh look at assessment days, when
candidates are invited to attend a group interview, and include
written and verbal exercises that test the candidate’s ability to
communicate and work with a group of strangers.
None of this means that technical skills are eschewed
altogether. A solid technology grounding is required in all IT
recruits, particularly in the areas of Microsoft .net, Java, Oracle
and C++.
There is a growing realisation in academia that companies need
people who see IT as a means to an end, rather than an end in
itself; that technology is about solving problems rather than
building clever systems for the sake of it.
But undergraduates have a clear need for coaching on how to
build on that technical base with the new skills required for a
successful career in business.
It is vital for companies who need this new breed of graduate to
get out onto university campuses and help students develop these
skills, instead of just “selling” their own brands at traditional
milkrounds.
As Brown says, the IT industry will play an important role in
the UK economy going forward. But it will not thrive without a
steady stream of graduate trainees who can become the senior
managers and consultants of the future.
It is incumbent on suppliers to work with academia to help
nurture that talent and to adjust their internal programmes so that
it thrives.
Gary Argent is head of graduate recruitment at
LogicaCMG