Around 60% of employers do not consider an ICT-related
degree relevant to IT and telecoms business roles.
The lack of confidence in ICT degrees has been found in research
from industry skills body e-skills UK.
Karen Price, CEO of e-skills UK, said, “Graduates from non-ICT
disciplines have often developed skills in areas not yet widely
included in traditional computing courses – such as business,
project, communication and other interpersonal skills. IT-related
degrees must evolve to reflect the broader range of capabilities
required to be successful in modern careers in IT and
telecoms.”
Price said the success of the Information Technology Management
for Business ( ITMB ) degrees, created with employers to develop
the business-oriented, customer-focused IT professionals the
industry needs, highlights how urgently such IT courses are needed.
ITMB degrees will be running at 12 universities by the end of this
year, said Price.
The e-Skills UK research was based on responses from over 1,000
individuals responsible for ICT recruitment and development in UK
companies.
The research can be viewed at:
www.e-skills.com/research
Northern Ireland faces skills crisis
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