Urgent action to improve IT skills in Northern Ireland
is fundamental to continued economic prosperity.
According to e-skills UK research and consultation with over 550
employers in Northern Ireland, the province is suffering from
severe IT skills shortages.
The research now underpins a 10 year vision and three year
action plan for IT skills development in Northern Ireland.
The action plan, called the Sector Skills Agreement (SSA) for
IT, has been developed by e-skills UK with Momentum, the trade
association for ICT companies in Northern Ireland; along with
employers, educators and government.
It follows research which revealed that, over the next 15 years,
the IT industry in Northern Ireland is forecast to grow at more
than three times the rate of overall employment growth in Northern
Ireland.
Around 2,000 people are needed each year to enter the IT
workforce, filling increasingly complex, high added value roles. At
the same time, the numbers of people choosing to study
technology-related subjects continues to fall.
The research also demonstrated that more than a quarter of
businesses in Northern Ireland have employees who lack the everyday
IT skills to do their jobs.
Karen Price, chief executive officer of e-skills UK, said,
"Businesses and the entire Northern Ireland economy are dependent
on having a workforce with the right IT skills.
“The SSA for IT has united employers and other partners in a
coherent strategy and action plan for IT skills improvement. This
is not just about improvements in the IT sector, but about helping
businesses in every sector which depend increasingly on IT for
their success.”
Michael Crow, head of application services in Northern Ireland
for Fujitsu Services, said, "The SSA for IT aims to support the
continued growth of Northern Ireland as a vibrant IT-enabled
economy. The strategy set out in the Agreement is backed by
industry leaders from companies across all business sectors in
Northern Ireland.”
The SSA for IT in Northern Ireland has four strategic
objectives: to improve the attractiveness of IT careers, prepare
the future workforce, develop adults and the existing workforce,
and address infrastructure matters such as qualifications
reform.
More information on the initiative is available at:
www.e-skills.com/nissa
Related article:
Northern Ireland wins major contact centre
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