Over the past 12 months a lot of "experts" have bemoaned
the lack of computer science graduates and predicted doom and gloom
for the IT industry in the UK because of it. But such "spokesmen"
for the industry really need to get their own act together before
any action is even contemplated.
Last year in this column I highlighted how we must encourage the
young to consider careers in computers. That is not the same as
encouraging them to do computer science degrees.
IT people can and do come from a variety of backgrounds with a
variety of degrees. You do not as a rule need a computer science
degree to become a business analyst, a programmer or many of the
multitude of jobs currently on offer.
Be sure of end result
Before you start any project, it is vital to know in a
reasonable degree of detail what you want to achieve. We also know
that the sponsor of a project or programme has to be sure of what
the end result will do to their business before funding
commences.
Yet we have a number of industry figures enticing the young to
consider an IT career without knowing what we want them to do, what
roles will be on offer or what skills they need to obtain prior to
application. This failure to define what is really needed is what
is frustrating.
We need to do some planning so that we can articulate to
educational institutes, scholars and businesses the sort of skills
that they need to be teaching, learning and developing.
The industry, therefore, needs an initiative that will result in
some sort of scenario planning to produce a few descriptions of
what the business world could look like five, 10 and 15 years
on.
These scenarios will then enable high level skills and resource
planning against which curricula, career planning and internal
company training can be mapped. This will need a group of people
who are committed, enthusiastic, influential and pan-industry.
Looking five years ahead
One example of this change in need can be evidenced by the huge
amount of IT work that has been outsourced and offshored. Do senior
IT management know with any certainty the type of skills and
experience that they will need in the UK in three to five
years?
To consider a career in IT the new graduates will need some
convincing that they are entering a field that will give them
long-term career prospects. Further, in the wider business context
of resource planning most business people (as opposed to dedicated
IT staff) now also need technical expertise to be able to perform
their jobs well.
This planning will also enable us to articulate the links
between certain A-level and degree subjects, so that careers advice
can give a wider range of choices. For instance, somebody taking
business studies will know the applicability of this to both a
career in IT and a career in one of the other disciplines within
companies of varying sizes.
Margaret Smith advises businesses and government on IT and
skills issues and was formerly chief executive of CIO
Connect
Last year's column
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