The
IT industry must become more exciting to attract talent because
almost half of
teenagers could be tempted by IT careers if it changed its
image.
This is one of the findings of the survey of over 1,000 13 to 17
year olds
carried out by IT supplier Logicalis.
The UK Realtime Generation Survey 2008 found
only 12% of the teenagers had considered a career in IT. But
another 35% would consider it
if it they could find something in IT that interested them.
The UK Realtime Generation Survey 2008 revealed teenagers are
aware of the advantages of
web 2.0 technology, such as social networking. Their interest
in IT careers would increase if they could see how businesses are
using these technologies.
The fact that 35% would consider a career in IT is good news,
according to the report's author Chris Gabriel,
marketing and solutions director at Logicalis.
Chris Gabriel said: "This indicates that you can
close the skills gap because these teenagers are very good at
using IT." But he added that the IT industry must convert users of
technology into those who run it.
He said teenagers do not see their devices as IT and the
industry must increase their understanding.
Gabriel said demonstrating how IT works in business will attract
more youngsters to the sector. "If we could show how businesses use
technologies such as mobile and social networking more teenagers
could relate to it."
The survey also revealed
only 11% of the surveyed group intended to
pursue a science-based course at university, compared to 31%
were planning to attend a media course and 23% intending to study a
sports course at University.