Northern Ireland faces an
IT skills shortfall unless businesses and
colleges take urgent action, E-Skills UK has warned.
A study by the sector skills council, conducted with the help of
more than 550 employers, predicted that the IT industry in Northern
Ireland would grow at more than three times the rate of overall
employment over the next 15 years.
About 2,000 new entrants to the IT workforce are needed every
year to fill increasingly complex roles, E-Skills said. However,
the number of people choosing to study IT-related subjects
continues to fall.
Together with employers, educators and the government, E-Skills
UK has worked with Momentum, the trade association for IT
companies in Northern Ireland, to create an action plan - the
Sector Skills Agreement (SSA) for IT - designed to avert the skills
shortfall.
"Businesses and the entire Northern Ireland economy are
dependent on a workforce with the right IT skills," said E-Skills
UK chief executive Karen Price. "The SSA for IT has united
employers and other partners in a coherent strategy for skills
improvement. This is not just about the IT sector, but helping
businesses in every sector, which depend increasingly on IT."
Momentum and its partners are working on programmes to support
careers advisers in Northern Ireland and promote understanding of
IT career options. They will also establish a joint higher
education and industry forum to bring employers and universities
together.
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