Local IT innovation needs to be nurtured if the UK is to
compete on a global scale, according toBCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.
The lack of a Silicon Valley equivalent in the UK puts budding
IT entrepreneurs at a disadvantage compared with their US
counterparts, the institute said.
To highlight the need and showcase the increasing importance of
IT, BCS is to take part in this year's
Lord Mayor's Show on
14 November and will tweet
live from the event.
Research has shown that 60% of UK IT managers believe the UK's
competitiveness could be transformed by an
IT innovation hub, similar to Silicon Valley in the US.
"If the profession is to command the respect that it rightfully
deserves, it must seek to achieve excellence and continue to
innovate," said Elizabeth Sparrow, president of the institute.
The sharing of knowledge and experience will be central to this,
she said.
In other research commissioned by BCS among 16 to 30-year-olds
in London, 81% see IT as a global industry offering global
careers.
"As the Chartered Institute for IT, we aim to build a fully
integrated education system, linking academic, researcher and
practitioner knowledge needs, which will go some way in fulfilling
the requirement for a UK innovation hub," said Sparrow.
The institute believes that such a hub will not only be of value
to existing members of the industry, but will also act as an
incentive for the brightest graduates to join the profession, she
said.